Lawsuit statute of limitations put simply means the maximum amount of time in which a lawsuit must be filed for any particular situation. The statute will be different depending on what the lawsuit is for. The deadlines vary on whether the lawsuit is filed in state or federal court and also vary from state to state. Here are some of the more common cases and the limitations; Misrepresentation and fraud (3 to 6 years); Negligence: personal injury (1 to 2 years) or intentional wrongdoing (1 to 6 years); A claim against a government entity (usually less than 1 year); Enforcement of civil judgment (5 to 25 years). This is not a comprehensive list but is only meant to demonstrate the different statutes. For any specific instance an attorney should be contacted. For lawsuits involving personal injury, the statutes may vary depending on the case. It is rare, but there are times when the statutes can be waived if there are extraordinary circumstances. A comprehensive list of lawsuit statute of limitations can be found online but for dependable legal advice, it is best to talk to a lawyer. Many times, for lawsuits, there are free consultations. As the examples show; statutes of limitations can vary extensively.