Every jurisdiction in the United States has deadlines for when civil lawsuits can be filed. These are called statutes of limitations. In the three pages linked here, we have gathered the rules for the jurisdictions our firm practices in most often: the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
Here are some general tips for readers who want to know their rights to bring a personal injury lawsuit
- Don’t tempt fate! The most important rule is to not even get close to these deadlines. Even if you think you have filed your case on time, it could turn out you need to add another defendant later, and if you filed close to the deadline, you may have run out of time to add this new defendant.
- So the best advice is that if you think you might have a serious personal injury claim, have it investigated early and get your lawyer to file the case in court as soon as is feasible. In many cases the lawyer will want to wait until you have reached “maximum medical recovery,” which is a good reason to put off the case for a year or so after the injury, but not a reason to wait until the last minute.
- Watch out for the special rules in suing government defendants. These are outlined in the linked pages.
- Always seek an attorney’s advice. We do not warrant that our advice is perfect or that it applies in all situations. You may have some exception that we have not covered in these pages.
Consult with an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney
If you believe you or a family member has been seriously injured from someone else’s fault – whether from medical malpractice, a defective product, a motor vehicle collision or any other kind of accidental injury — you may want to click here to contact an experienced personal injury attorney for a free evaluation of your case. You can also email us at info@patrickmalonelaw.com or call us at 202-742-1500 or 888-625-6635 toll-free. We will respond within 24 hours. There is no charge for our initial consultation.
