Statutes of Limitation (Civil)

'Under a legal rule known as the "statute of limitations," any lawsuit arising from an accident or injury must be filed within a certain time limit or the injured person's legal claim will be barred and his or her right to sue will be lost forever. Every state has enacted its own statute of limitations, requiring any personal injury suit be filed in court within a set time after the incident or injury.'

'Statutes of limitations exist for both civil and criminal causes of action, and begin to run from the date of the injury, or the date it was discovered, or the date on which it would have been discovered with reasonable efforts. Many statutes of limitations are actual legislative statutes, while others may come from judicial common law.'

'Any law that bars claims after some action by the defendant, even if the plaintiff has not yet been injured.'

'A doctrine in equity that those who delay too long in asserting an equitable right will not be entitled to bring an action.'

[T]he way Congress drafts statutes of limitations can significantly affect the viability of private lawsuits that Congress authorizes to enforce its statutory mandates. Accordingly, whenever Congress drafts a federal statute creating a cause of action, it may consider several questions. The first question is whether to include a statute of limitations provisions. The second question is how long the limitations period should be. The third question raised by statutes of limitation is when the limitations period begins. Another question is whether the statute of limitations is subject to exceptions.