An act of the court shall prejudice no man.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) No person shall be harmed by an act of the court itself — when delay, error, or procedural defect is the court's own doing, the parties must not suffer for it.

Where this applies

• A court clerk loses a filing, causing the plaintiff to miss a deadline — the court extends the deadline because its own error must not prejudice the plaintiff.
• A judge's scheduling mistake forces a defendant to miss a hearing, and the court vacates the default judgment that resulted because the court's act cannot harm the party.
• A case is delayed for two years because the court's docket is backed up, and the judge ensures neither party is penalized for the court's own delay.