Lowers the statute of limitations for certain actions

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the statute of limitations for fraud cases, so this claim was removed.

Changes Time Limits for Certain Legal Actions

This act changes the statute of limitations, reducing the time allowed to file certain types of legal cases.

What This Bill Does

• Reduces the time limit from five years to three years for filing actions based on contracts or implied agreements.
• Shortens the period for filing an action based on a liability created by a law other than penalties or fines.
• Decreases the statute of limitations for trespassing cases involving real estate.
• Limits the time frame for filing cases about taking, damaging, or injuring personal property to three years.

Who It Names or Affects

• People and businesses involved in legal disputes based on contracts, implied agreements, statutes (except penalties), real estate trespassing, damage or injury to personal property.

Terms To Know

statute of limitations

A law that sets a time limit for filing certain types of legal actions after an event occurs.

liability

The state of being responsible or legally accountable for something, such as damages or debts.

Limits and Unknowns

• This act does not specify the exact changes to other types of legal actions that are not mentioned.
• It is unclear how this change will affect specific cases already in progress when the law takes effect.

Official Summary Text

Lowers the statute of limitations for certain actions

Current Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1610
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE BILLINGT ON.
5052H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o repeal section 516.120, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to the
statute of limitations for certain actions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 516.120, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu
2 thereof, to be known as section 516.120, to read as follows:
516.120. W ithin [ five ] thr ee years:
2 (1) All actions upon contracts, obligations or liabilities, express or implied, except
3 those mentioned in section 516.1 10, and except upon judgments or decrees of a court of
4 record, and except where a dif ferent time is herein limited;
5 (2) An action upon a liability created by a statute other than a penalty or forfeiture;
6 (3) An action for trespass on real estate;
7 (4) An action for taking, detaining or injuring any goods or chattels, including actions
8 for the recovery of specific personal property , or for any other injury to the person or rights of
9 another , not arising on contract and not herein otherwise enumerated;
10 (5) An action for relief on the ground of fraud, the cause of action in such case to be
11 deemed not to have accrued until the discovery by the aggrieved party , at any time within ten
12 years, of the facts constituting the fraud.
✔
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.