A statute of limitations is a statute, or law, that restricts the period of time, after certain events, that a person may initiate legal proceedings. These time limits vary depending on the type of case and the state where the particular cause of action occurred. After the time limit has passed, the injured person no longer has the right to sue to recovery money damages, unless a legal exception applies. The following provides a brief summary, in alphabetical order, of some of the limitations periods for the state of Minnesota for those actions related to personal injury, medical malpractice, and some products liability. Please contact a qualified Minnesota lawyer to find out how a statute of limitations applies to your situation.
Fraud:
Actions based on fraud must be filed within 6 years.
Libel-Slander-Defamation:
These types of actions must be filed within 2 years from the date of the action.
Medical Malpractice:
All actions against medical professionals must be filed within 4 years of the date of the act resulting in the medical malpractice injury. If the injured party is a minor, all medical malpractice actions must be filed within 1 year from the minor’s 18th birthday, not to extend more than 7 years from the date of the act resulting in the injury.
Personal Injury:
Personal injury actions based on negligent conduct must be filed within 6 years from the date of the injury. Personal injury actions based on intentional misconduct, or where an injury was caused by an unsafe condition of real estate, must be filed within 2 years from the date of the injury. Please refer to the statute directly.
Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Actions Chart
Product Liability:
Product liability actions must be filed within 2 years from the date of the injury. However, this limitations period varies by the specific circumstances of the case. Some circumstances provide for a 4 year or a 6 year limitations period. Please refer to the statute directly.
Wrongful Death:
Wrongful death actions must be filed within 3 years of the date of death.
Special Rules Tolling the Statute of Limitations:
A statute of limitations is tolled when certain conditions are present. When a statute is tolled, the limitations period is essentially put on hold for a period of time. Some typical reasons that a statute is tolled include situations when the victim of the injury was a minor at the time of the injury (minority), when the victim of the injury was mentally incompetent at the time of the injury (mental incompetence), and when the defendant has filed bankruptcy.
In Minnesota, when the injured party is a minor the limitations period begins to run on that minor’s 18th birthday. This exception does not apply in medical malpractice or wrongful death cases, however. In those instances, please refer to the above information, or refer to the statute directly. If an injured party is deemed to be mentally incompetent or insane at the time the action accrued, the limitations period will be suspended until the disability is removed. The period of extension, however, shall not be longer than 5 years generally, or longer than 1 year from the time the disability was removed.
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