Social media lawsuit deadlines by state
Every state sets its own deadline for filing an injury claim, and most pause the clock for children until they turn 18. Choose your state for its rules and the statute each one comes from.
Responsible attorney: Justin Grove, Grove and Associates PLC. General information, not legal advice: exceptions apply, and a lawyer should confirm your family’s deadline.
| State | General deadline | Injured as a minor |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 years | If the injured person was under 19 (Alabama's age of majority) when hurt, they get 3 years after turning 19 to file. Disability can never stretch the deadline past 20 years from when the claim arose. |
| Alaska | 2 years | For a child, the clock generally does not run until age 18; the child then has up to 2 more years (until about age 20). The statute also says time before age 8 doesn't count, but Alaska's Supreme Court struck down that age-8 limit as unconstitutional. |
| Arizona | 2 years | Time while the injured person is under 18 does not count, so a child generally has until 2 years after turning 18 to file. |
| Arkansas | 3 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, they may file within 3 years after reaching adulthood (age 18 in Arkansas). |
| California | 2 years | Time while the injured person is under 18 does not count, so a child generally has until 2 years after turning 18 (age 20). This pause does not apply to claims against government agencies, which have short claim-filing deadlines. |
| Colorado | 2 years | If a child under 18 has no parent or legal guardian, the 2 years starts at age 18. If the child has a parent or legal representative, that person must generally file within the normal deadline, so the clock may not pause. |
| Connecticut | 3 years | Connecticut has no general rule pausing the deadline for minors in injury cases, so the normal deadline usually applies to children too. Separate, longer rules apply to sexual abuse claims. |
| Delaware | 2 years | Delaware's rule pausing deadlines for minors does not cover personal injury claims, so a child's injury claim generally must still be filed within 2 years. |
| District of Columbia | 3 years | If the injured person was under 18 when hurt, the 3-year clock does not start until they turn 18. |
| Florida | 2 years | The deadline pauses for a minor only while the child has no parent or guardian, or the parent's interests conflict with the child's. Even then, the case must be filed within 7 years of the event. |
| Georgia | 2 years | If the injured person was under 18 when hurt, they get the normal deadline starting at age 18 (generally until age 20). |
| Hawaii | 2 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the 2-year clock does not start until they turn 18. A claim can also be filed while the child is still a minor. |
| Idaho | 2 years | Time while the injured person is under 18 does not count toward the deadline. This can add no more than 6 years to the normal deadline. |
| Illinois | 2 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, they have 2 years after turning 18 to file. |
| Indiana | 2 years | For product liability claims, being a minor does NOT pause the clock: the 2-year and 10-year limits apply regardless of age. For other injury claims, a minor generally has 2 years after turning 18. |
| Iowa | 2 years | A minor's deadline is extended so they have at least 1 year after turning 18 to file. |
| Kansas | 2 years | A person injured under 18 can file up to 1 year after turning 18. But no claim for a minor can be filed more than 8 years after the act that caused the injury. |
| Kentucky | 1 year | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, they get the same 1-year period starting when they reach adulthood (18). |
| Louisiana | 2 years | Generally, being a minor does NOT pause the clock in Louisiana. One exception: in product liability cases involving permanent disability, the deadline does not run against a minor. |
| Maine | 6 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the 6-year clock does not start until they turn 18. |
| Maryland | 3 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the 3-year clock starts when they turn 18, so they generally have until age 21. |
| Massachusetts | 3 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the 3-year clock generally does not start until they turn 18. |
| Michigan | 3 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, they have until 1 year after turning 18 to file, even if the normal 3 years has already run out. |
| Minnesota | 4 years | If the injured person was under 18, the clock is paused until they turn 18. But the pause cannot give them more than 1 year after their 18th birthday. |
| Mississippi | 3 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the clock does not start until the minor's status ends. Mississippi law generally defines a minor as someone under 21. |
| Missouri | 5 years | If the injured person was under 21 when the claim arose, the clock does not start until they turn 21. |
| Montana | 3 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the time they are a minor does not count. The clock generally starts at 18. |
| Nebraska | 4 years | If the injured person was under 21 when the claim arose, the 4-year clock does not start until they turn 21. This pause does not extend the 10-year outer limit for products (see repose). |
| Nevada | 2 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the time they are under 18 does not count. The 2-year clock generally starts at 18. |
| New Hampshire | 3 years | A person injured as a minor may file within 2 years after turning 18. |
| New Jersey | 2 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, they may file within 2 years after turning 18. |
| New Mexico | 3 years | A child injured before 18 gets at least until one year after turning 18 to file. If the normal 3-year deadline ends later, the later date applies. |
| New York | 3 years | For a child injured before 18, the clock pauses. The child then has until 3 years after turning 18 (age 21) to file. The 10-year cap in this law does not apply to children's injury claims other than medical malpractice. |
| North Carolina | 3 years | For a child injured before 18, the clock pauses. The full 3-year period starts on the 18th birthday, so the deadline is usually age 21. |
| North Dakota | 6 years | For a child injured before 18, the clock pauses, but the extra time cannot run past one year after the 18th birthday. In practice the deadline is the later of 6 years from the injury or age 19. |
| Ohio | 2 years | For a child injured before adulthood, the clock pauses. The 2-year period starts on the 18th birthday, so the deadline is usually age 20. |
| Oklahoma | 2 years | A person under a legal disability when injured, which includes children, generally has one year after the disability ends (around age 19) to file. Medical malpractice claims follow stricter rules. |
| Pennsylvania | 2 years | For a child injured before 18, the years before 18 do not count. The 2-year period starts on the 18th birthday, so the deadline is usually age 20. |
| Rhode Island | 3 years | A child injured before 18 can file within the normal 3 years counted from the 18th birthday, usually until age 21. |
| South Carolina | 3 years | For a child injured before 18, the clock pauses, but the extra time cannot run past one year after the 18th birthday. In practice the deadline is the later of the normal 3-year deadline or age 19. |
| South Dakota | 3 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the time while they are a minor does not count. But this extra time ends no later than one year after they turn 18, so the deadline is the later of the normal deadline or one year after their 18th birthday. |
| Tennessee | 1 year | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the clock is paused until they turn 18, then the normal deadline (usually 1 year) runs. The extra time can never be more than 3 years after they turn 18, and it does not pause the product-liability outer limits. |
| Texas | 2 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the time before their 18th birthday does not count, so the normal 2 years generally starts at 18. A disability that starts after the clock is already running does not pause it. |
| Utah | 2 years | While the injured person is under 18, the filing deadline does not run. The clock starts when they turn 18. |
| Vermont | 3 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, they get the full normal filing period after they reach adulthood. The statute sets no cap. |
| Virginia | 2 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the normal 2-year period starts when they turn 18, unless a court legally emancipated them earlier. |
| Washington | 3 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the time before their 18th birthday does not count toward the deadline. |
| West Virginia | 2 years | If the injured person was a minor when the claim arose, the normal 2-year period starts when they become an adult. But no claim can be brought more than 20 years after it arose. Childhood sexual abuse claims have separate, longer rules. |
| Wisconsin | 3 years | If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, they can file within 2 years after turning 18, if that is later than the normal deadline. This extension does not apply to claims against health care providers. |
Not yet listed: Oregon, Wyoming. Their rules are being confirmed; call 313.733.1204 or use the free case review.