Define statutes of limitations

Answer 1

have a reckless driving charge in 2005 and fail to appear in court for clearance and didn't pay fine either. You probably also have a suspended license. You need to go to the local courthouse and pay the fine and get everything worked out. If you wait for them to bring you in with a warrant, it can get serious and expensive real fast.

Answer 2

A statute of limitations places a time limit on when cases can be brought for civil or criminal matters. It prevents someone waiting for years to bring suit and allows the individual adequate ability to mount a defense. In some cases, there is no limit, for such things as murder or rape.

Answer 3

It is the period during which you must file a court action (or other papers) if you intend to pursue the matter, after which you no longer have that right.

There are criminal statutes of limitations, civil limits and regulatory limits.

For example, one may have a criminal DUI charge for drinking and driving, during which he or she caused a collision, as well as civil damages and regulatory fines. There is one limit for the criminal charges, another for the civil charges (injuries and property damage), another for the administrative issues related to retaining the driver's license, and perhaps another for any other civil infractions that may have occurred. If the vehicle was a rental or lease, there could also be a separate statute of limitations for the contract issues.

Each state has one or more statutes or court rules that determine the limitations. The federal codes also contain hundreds of statutes of limitations for their various subject matters, with hundreds of other limitations found within regulatory rules.

In some cases, such as IRS cases, the "clock" on the statute of limitations may not start to run until some specific event, such as filing a return. If no return was filed, then there is no limit to the time the IRS can come looking for the tax payments, interest and penalties.

In other areas of administrative law, the agency may have the leeway to "extend" your time for filing something, perhaps with a penalty fee, up to a statutory limit.

Finally, some statutes include rules that "stop the clock" for any time during which the person in question is not within the jurisdiction of the court (also called "tolling"). So, in theory, you could do something bad in one state with a statute of limitations of 2 years, then immediately move to another state for 10 years, and still be liable in the first state for 2 years after you return to that state.

Answer 4

Statutues of limitations are time frames in which laws suits or criminal charges must be brought. It is to provide an accused with a realistic opportunity to mount a proper defense against the law suit or charges.

Answer 5

The length of time after which a person cannot be charged for committing a specific crime. Murder has no statute of limitations.