To follow-up on a previous post regarding statutes of limitations (the period of time in which you have to institute litigation), I thought it would be helpful to provide some specific examples to Massachusetts injury victims. To that end, I found the following on expertlaw.com:
Professional Malpractice: Malpractice actions must be commenced within three years of the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury, or within three years of its discovery. All medical malpractice actions must be filed within seven years after the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury, with the exception of actions for a foreign object being left inside the body, in which case the limitations period begins to run when the plaintiff discovers or should have discovered the presence of the foreign object.
Personal Injury: 3 years. However, a person injured in a hit-and-run accident may commence suit within six months of learning the identity of the hit-and-run driver.
Fraud: 3 years.
Libel / Slander / Defamation: 3 years.
Injury to Personal Property: 3 years.
Product Liability: 3 years.
Please note that there are permutations of these requirements such as the "discovery rule" and when the statute of limitations is actually "tolled." But please be clear that if you do not take legal action within these time-frames, you will lose all legal rights to sue the party or parties that caused your personal injuries.