What Is the Statute of Limitations? What Is Its Purpose?
When you have been injured in Maryland in an accident or as a result of someone else’s careless or negligent act, you have a right to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for your losses. You must, however, file your complaint within a limited period of time, as set forth in Maryland’s “statute of limitations.”
What Is the Statute of Limitations?
The statute of limitations is a written law, enacted by the Maryland legislature, that sets forth the time period within which a lawsuit must be filed. As a general rule, if a complaint is not filed within those time limitations, the claim will be barred. Though many states require that a personal injury lawsuit be filed within two years of the date of the injury, Maryland allows an injured party three years to commence legal action.
What Is the Purposed of the Statute of Limitations?
The statute of limitations seeks to ensure that legal proceedings take place while the memories of all parties are still fresh. It also minimizes the risk that witnesses will die or relocate, or that critical evidence will deteriorate or be destroyed.
For a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit, the statute of limitations prevents a potential claim from hanging over his or head for an unreasonable period of time.
Results-Oriented Maryland Personal Injury Attorney
Maryland SuperLawyer Jonathan Scott Smith has aggressively advocated for injured people across the state for more than three decades. Known and respected by his fellow attorneys for his trial experience, Attorney Smith has been named a “Top-Rated Lawyer” by the American Lawyer Magazine, and has long held an AV-rating under Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Rating System (the highest rating possible). The National Trial Lawyers Association, a “by invitation only” professional organization, has identified him among the top 100 attorneys in the state of Maryland.
Smith has also earned the prestigious Client’s Choice Award from AVVO, with an average client review of 5 stars (the highest rating possible), as well as a perfect 10.0 Superb rating from AVVO as a trial attorney.
Proven Baltimore, Maryland Accident Injury Lawyer
If you or someone you love has suffered any type of loss as the result of a personal injury, we can help. Contact attorney Jonathan Scott Smith by e-mail or call our offices at (410) 441-5054 to schedule an appointment. .. We represent injured people in Howard County, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Frederick County, Prince Georges County and Montgomery County in Maryland.