If you have suffered a wrongful injury in Minnesota, you may be wondering how long you will have to bring suit against the negligent party. Depending on the nature of the accident, it could be as little as two years and as long as six. For this reason, the St. Paul personal injury lawyer at Rob Roe Law, LLC encourages you to take action as soon as possible. In doing so, you can ensure that you will have the opportunity to seek justice for the harm that you have endured. The statute of limitations for civil lawsuits in Minnesota may seem fairly black and white, but there are numerous rules and exceptions that you will need to keep in mind before the lifespan of your case expires. First, you will need to determine what type of claim you have—i.e. personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, etc.—as each is regulated by a different statute of limitations.
- Professional Malpractice: 4 years from the date of injury
- Personal Injury: 6 years from the date of injury
- Intentional Misconduct: 2 years from the date of injury
- Libel / Slander: 2 years from the date of incidence
- Product Liability: 4 years from the date of injury
- Breach of Contract: 6 years from the date of the breach
- Injury to Personal Property: 6 years from the date of incidence
Next, you will need to determine whether or not the “discovery rule” would apply to your case. This is one of the only exceptions that can be made in your favor once the statute of limitations has elapsed. Since some injuries are not readily apparent, you may not discover that you have been injured for an extended period of time. In some cases, it could even take years. For this reason, the discovery rule allows for the victims of wrongful injury to extend the statute of limitations by considering the “date of injury” to be the time that the injuries were discovered. This does not mean that the standard timeframe would still apply, however, as you may only be given a short window of time in which to bring suit against the responsible party. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you discuss your case with an experienced legal professional in a timely manner.
When you enlist the help of a St. Paul injury attorney at Rob Roe Law, LLC, we will work diligently to ensure that your case is filed before the statute of limitations expires. Contact our office today at 651-319-8112 or submit a free case evaluation form online to learn more about how we can help.