Civic · 6 pages · 12 min

How a statute of limitations is a clock

A statute of limitations is a legal deadline after which a claim or charge is too late.

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From the opening

A statute of limitations is a legislature's clock, a period after which a civil claim or a criminal charge may no longer be filed. When the period runs out, the courthouse can refuse the case because it is late, even if the underlying story is otherwise provable. The opening covers the statute names the period, a defined event starts the count, and a late filing can be barred.

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Inside

The statute names the period
A defined event starts the count
A late filing can be barred
Pauses can move the end date
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Statute of limitations
Time-barred claim

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How a statute of limitations is a clock

From the opening

Inside

Sources

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