If you live in Michigan and have been injured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be entitled to financial compensation, and a personal injury attorney can help you get the money you deserve. The same thing applies if a family member died due to someone’s negligence or wrongdoing.
Personal injury law is a broad term that covers many specific areas of law including medical malpractice, product liability, car/truck/motorcycle accidents and elder abuse just to name a few. Personal injury is only one are of civil law, however. Another area is contract law and if a party you contracted with breached the terms of your agreement, you may have a claim for financial compensation based on a theory of breach of contract.
Personal Injury Statute of Limitations in Michigan
Personal injury lawyers fight to get compensation for victims of negligence who need money for medical bills, pain, lost wages, and emotional suffering they have endured through no fault of their own. One very important part of a personal injury case is the statute of limitations, which is the time period you have to take legal action following an injury or death. The statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Michigan is three years.
Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations for medial malpractice cases in Michigan is quite short—just two years. Many victims of medical malpractice don’t even realize they suffered harm from a medical procedure until many years after the procedure was performed. A classic example of this would be a surgeon leaving a sponge in a body cavity during surgery, and then the decaying sponge causes serious symptoms several years after the surgery. What if more than two years has passed since the procedure?
When this happens, you have up to six months after the injury is detected or should reasonably have been detected to file suit. However, if you don’t detect the injury for six years, you cannot file a claim—as dictated by a “statute of repose.” Notwithstanding this, there are exceptions to the statute of repose, also. The two primary exceptions are if a woman’s reproductive system is adversely affected or if fraud was involved. In those cases, the time you have to file suit increases. Your Michigan medical malpractice attorney will be able to advise you of your right to file suit after hearing the specific details of your case.
Product Liability Statute of Limitations
In Michigan, the statute of limitations for product liability cases is three years, so if you have been harmed by a defective medical device, automobile, appliance or electronic device, please don’t delay in contacting a personal injury attorney who handles product liability.
Breach of Contract Statute of Limitations
A breach of contract can be a serious matter and can lead to financial ruin for the party who was wronged. If you were the victim of a breach of contract and have suffered financial harm, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. The statute of limitations for breach of contract in Michigan is six years for a written contract and four years for a verbal contract.
