Article 452 of Civil Code

1 - The court may not rule of its own motion that an action is not to be heard by reason of the passage of time; rather, this must be at the request of the debtor, his creditor, or any person having an interest therein, even if the debtor does not invoke it. Law Index 1002 Home Page Civil Code Decree-Law No. 67 of 1980 AD promulgating the Civil Code 2 - This defence may be invoked at any stage of the action, even for the first time before the Court of Appeal.