ABSTRACT
A statute of limitations specifies a time limit for filing a civil or criminal action. These statutes prevent civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions in which the lapse of time, death of witnesses, failure of memory, and destruction of physical evidence may obscure the facts. Each state has its own statutes of limitations, as does the federal government. The specific time limits for filing claims will vary, but the following is a general framework applicable to civil suits. A one issue in analyzing a statute of limitations for a specific action is to determine the point at which the prescribed statute of limitations begins to run. The criminal code in the several states sets the time within which the prosecution must bring a criminal charge. Murder and the most serious felonies often have no statute of limitations and may be filed at any time.
