Statutes of Limitations

A statute of limitations is the deadline for filing a lawsuit.  If you do not file not your lawsuit by the end of the statute you can no longer sue the person or entity.  Here are some common time limits for various disputes:

Personal Injury.  In most cases it is a two years limit from the time it was discovered.  However, some situations may only be one year.

Breach of a written contract.  Four years for the date the breach occurred.

Breach of oral contract.  Two years from the date of the breach.

Damage to personal or real property.  Three years from the day the damages occurred.

Claims against government agencies.  This are a little different the other lawsuits.  Before you can sue a government entity you must file a claim with the agency first.  Then they will decide if they should pay you or not.  Once they decide not to pay you and reject your claim, you are then free to file a lawsuit.  Your initial claim with the agency must be filed within six months of the incident.

Collecting a debt with a court ordered judgement.  Ten years from the date the judgement is issued.