Coney Island Auto Parts Unlimited, Inc. v. Burton · ¶2
Held: Rule 60(c)(1)'s reasonable-time limit applies to a motion alleging that a judgment is void under Rule 60(b)(4). Pp. 158–162. (a) The plain text of Rule 60(c)(1) provides that a “motion under Rule 60(b) must be made within a reasonable time,” and because a motion for relief from an allegedly void judgment is a “motion under Rule 60(b),” the reasonable-time limit applies. The structure of Rule 60 confirms the plain-text interpretation. Rule 60 expressly modifes the default reasonable-time limit, imposing a 1-year limit on Rule 60(b) motions alleging mistakes, new evidence, or fraud. Yet the Rule does not include an analogous unlimited-time principle for motions alleging voidness. P. 158. (b) The Court rejects the argument that because a “void judgment is a legal nullity,” United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Espinosa, 559 U. S. 260, 270, no time limit should apply. Even if the passage…Read in context ›
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