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Statute of Limitations by State

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Civil & Personal Injury Actions

Oregon

Personal Injury: Two years
Product Liability: Two years after the plaintiff suffers injury, or within two years of the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered the injury. However, no product liability action may be commenced more than eight years after the date the product alleged to have caused injury was purchased.
Professional Malpractice: Medical malpractice actions must be commenced within two years from the date of the wrongful act or omission, or within two years of the date the injury was or reasonably should have been discovered. No medical malpractice action may be filed more than five years from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury, regardless of when the injury is discovered.
Injury to Personal Property: Six years
Fraud: Two years from discovery
Libel - Slander - Defamation: Two years
Contracts: Six years

Pennsylvania

Personal Injury: Two years
Product Liability: Two years
Professional Malpractice: Professional negligence actions, including medical malpractice lawsuits, must be filed within two years.
Injury to Personal Property: Two years
Fraud: Two years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: One year
Contracts: Written and under seal, twenty years. Otherwise, four years.

Rhode Island

Personal Injury: Three years
Product Liability: Ten years from date of purchase.
Professional Malpractice: Medical malpractice, and legal, veterinarian, accountant, insurance, and real estate malpractice actions must be filed within three years. Actions against health-care providers must be filed within three years of the date that the act giving rise to the injury occurred.
Libel - Slander - Defamation: One year
Contracts: Written and under seal, twenty years. Sale of goods, four years.

South Carolina

Personal Injury: Three years
Product Liability: Three years
Professional Malpractice: Actions for medical malpractice must be commenced within three years of the act or omission giving rise to the injury, or three years from the date the injury was or reasonably should have been discovered. Medical malpractice actions for the presence of a foreign object inside the body may be filed within the initial three year period, or within two years of discovery. No medical malpractice action may be filed more than six years from the date of the underlying act or omission regardless of the date of discovery.
Injury to Personal Property: Three years
Fraud: Three years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: Two years
Contracts: Written and under seal, twenty years. Otherwise, three years.

South Dakota

Personal Injury: Three years
Product Liability: Three years from the date of the injury, or within three years of the date the injury was or reasonably shoul dhave been discovered. However, no product liability action may be commenced more than six years after a product was purchased.
Professional Malpractice: Medical malpractice: two years; Legal malpractice: three years; CPA malpractice: four years
Injury to Personal Property: Six years
Fraud: Six years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: Two years
Contracts: Six years

Tennessee

Personal Injury: One year
Product Liability: One year
Professional Malpractice: Professional negligence lawsuits, including medical malpractice actions, must ordinarily be filed within one year.
Injury to Personal Property Three years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: Libel, one year; Slander, six months.
Contracts: Six years

Texas

Personal Injury: Two years
Product Liability: Two years
Professional Malpractice: Professional negligence actions, including medical malpractice lawsuits, must be filed within two years.
Injury to Personal Property: Two years
Fraud: Four years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: One year
Contracts: Specific performance of a real estate contract, four years.

Utah

Personal Injury: Generally, four years. Specific causes of action may have different limitations periods. For example, a two year limitations period applies to wrongful death actions.
Product Liability: Two years after the plaintiff suffers injury, or within two years from the date the plaintiff discovers or should have discovered the injury.
Professional Malpractice: Medical malpractice actions must be commenced within two years of the date of the act or omission giving rise to the claim, or within two years of the date the injury was or should have been discovered. If the medical malpractice claim involves a foreign object found within the body of the plaintiff, the action must be filed within one year of the insertion of the object or one year of the date the plaintiff discovers or should have discovered the presence of the object. However, under no circumstances may a medical malpractice action be commenced more than four years from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury.
Injury to Personal Property: Three years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: One year
Contracts: Written: six years; Oral contracts: 4 years

Vermont

Personal Injury: Three years, generally. Injuries caused by skiing, one year.
Product Liability: Three years
Professional Malpractice: Medical malpractice actions must be filed within three years of the date of the act or omission giving rise to the claim, or up to two years from the date the injury was or reasonably should have been discovered. However, no medical malpractice action may be filed more than seven years from the date of the act or omission underlying the claim.
Injury to Personal Property: Three years
Fraud: Six years
Libel - Slander - Defamation: Three years
Contracts: Written and under seal, eight years. Sale of goods, four years. Otherwise, six years.

All States

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