Statute of limitations is a law that sets a time limit for the filing of lawsuits. Statutes of limitations are designed to prevent suits in which the facts of the case have become unclear because of a long lapse of time. Suits filed after the time limit are barred, no matter how just they may be and even if the facts of the case are still clear.
The governments of most independent countries and many states and provinces, including the United States government and each U.S. state, have their own statute of limitations. A single statute may establish many different limitation periods, each for a different kind of claim. Typical statutes set limits of 1 year for cases involving such offenses as libel, slander, and assault and battery; 2 or 3 years for personal injury resulting from negligence; 3, 5, or 10 years for cases involving written contracts; and 20 years for actions to recover land. A few crimes, such as murder, are not subject to statutes of limitations. In most cases, the limitation period begins at the completion of the supposed act or acts upon which the lawsuit is based.
