Ex tunc
from then
Ex tunc means that a legal consequence applies with retroactive effect from the original point in time at which the situation arose.
Ex tunc is a Latin term used in Dutch law to indicate that a decision, ruling or annulment has retroactive effect to an earlier point in time. It is the counterpart of ex nunc, under which the effect commences only from the moment of the decision.
The term is relevant in administrative and civil law, for example in the annulment of a contract or an administrative decision, in order to remedy unlawful situations from the outset and to undo their legal consequences.
In practice, an ex tunc effect ensures legal certainty by restoring the parties to the position as if the legal basis had never existed.
“The court annulled the decision ex tunc, with the result that all acts consequent upon it were deemed invalid from the outset.”
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