Statute of Limitations

Definition of Statute of Limitations

Note: See a more comprehensive approach to the Statute of Limitations legal concept in the American Law Encyclopedia

A law that establishes a time period within which legal action must commence. Statutes of limitation are legislative enactments and the operative time limits vary across jurisdictions and by the issue involved. Statutes of limitation typically set limits of three, five, or seven years. These limits apply to almost every kind of legal action, criminal or civil. In criminal cases, a statute of limitation is viewed as an act of “grace” whereby the state relinquishes its right to prosecute. Serious crimes such as murder are excepted from statutes of limitation and prosecution may be initiated at anytime.

See Also

speedy trial, 187.

Definition of Statute of Limitations

Meaning of statute of limitations, related to United States investment and financial law, in the American Legal Dictionary. See also related words and terms of statute of limitations below.

Resources

See Also

Further Reading

• Information about statute of limitations in: John Downes and Jordan Elliot Goodman, “Dictionary of finance and investment terms” (Hauppauge, New York, Barron's, 2014)
• Information about statute of limitations in: Jerry Martin Rosenberg, “Dictionary of investing” (New York, Wiley)
• Information about statute of limitations in: Campbell R. Harvey's Hypertextual Finance Glossary

Resources

Statute of Limitations Related Resources

• Statute of Limitations in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
• Criminal Judicial Process Keywords in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
• Criminal Process Keywords in the International Legal Dictionary

Notes

• “Statute of Limitations”, The American Law Dictionary, 1991, California

Statute of Limitations (Criminal Judicial Process)

Meaning of Statute of Limitations

This is a brief definition of statute of limitations; a term used, in general, in the field of procedural law within the United States: A statutory time limit, by which a civil or criminal case must be filed_ when the time has expired, the statute of limitations is said to have run or expired.