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

Aruba authorities have left open the possibility of prosecuting him there, even though the statute of limitations has expired on Holloway's murder. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024

Similar to many other international information returns, the statute of limitations also never runs if an IRS Form 5471 is not filed. —Matthew Roberts, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

For older victims, the previous statute of limitations expired in their 20s. —Steve Thompson, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024

The senators in particular pointed out Comstock's five-year statute of limitations, meaning that if chains distribute the pills now, they could theoretically be prosecuted during a Trump administration. —Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024

White House officials and lawmakers used the announcement as a springboard to propose legislation to provide more funding for anti-fraud enforcement, extend the statute of limitations on prosecuting crimes, and to improve government databases to better detect when payments should not be made. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

Being a procrastinator is not a decent excuse, and Miss Manners is not going to let you off the hook by declaring a statute of limitations. —Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024

For victims who had already aged out of these timeframes, the law permitted a one-year lookback window, temporarily eliminating the statute of limitations to give child victims another chance at civil justice, becoming active in August of 2019 and initially supposed to end in August of 2020. —Kyle Dillon Hertz, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

So long as the protective claim for refund is properly filed prior to the statute of limitations deadline, this action should protect the employer from the disaster of losing on both fronts. —Matthew Roberts, Forbes, 28 Mar. 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