statute of limitations

noun phrase

: a statute assigning a certain time after which rights cannot be enforced by legal action or offenses cannot be punished

Examples of statute of limitations in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the fifth case, the lower court had ruled against the plaintiffs and dismissed their case, citing the 20-year statute of limitations. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 4 July 2024

Probable defenses include contesting the statute of limitations argument offered by the plaintiffs. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 2 July 2024

In his 40-page filing, Spertus also raised concerns about whether the case — stemming from material accessed in 2018 — had already exceeded the three-year statute of limitations for the charges. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024

Mitchell convened a grand jury in January that returned an indictment within the three-year statute of limitations for this charge, Varghese said. —Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 28 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

statute of limitations

1

a

: a statute establishing a period of time from the accrual of a cause of action (as upon the occurrence or discovery of an injury) within which a right of action must be exercised compare laches, statute of repose

b

: a criminal statute establishing the period of time within which an offense can be punished after its commission

2

: a period of time established by a statute of limitations for commencing an action or prosecution

3

: an affirmative defense that the statute of limitations has expired