Every year since 2018, and occasionally before, the Missouri legislature has attempted to shorten the statute of limitations for injury victims. Currently, most injury cases must be filed within five years of the occurrence, although that limit is shorter in special cases. House bill 2206 Missouri House of Representatives – Bill Information for HB2206 (mo.gov) would shorten that time limit to two years. A lawsuit cannot be filed after the statute of limitations expires.
If it becomes law, the shorter statute of limitations would unfairly impact injury victims who are a) unaware of the shorter limit or b) who are still being treated for their injuries and don’t want to file a lawsuit until they know the outcome of treatment or surgery. Those who put off treatment due to COVID or just hoping they would get better would also be impacted.
While this law would impact injury victims harshly, it would also increase the number of lawsuits that businesses and individuals would have to defend as a victim could not try to settle a case for very long before needing to file a lawsuit to protect the statute of limitations. This will ultimately lead to higher costs of defense and higher insurance premiums to cover those costs.
While it is a good idea to contact your state legislators about potential law changes that impact us, injury victims don’t expect to be injured and only attorneys and insurers tend to get involved in lobbying for or against law changes.