We’re proud and pleased that the New York Law Journal published "Statute of Limitations in Legal Malpractice" today. From the article:
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The statute of limitations sets the maximum time during which an action for damages may be commenced. It is of ancient heritage. Its first appearance in Anglo-American law is as early as 1237. In New York the statute of limitations applies to all actions in law and in equity. CPLR Article 2 sets time limitations in every enumerated action or special proceeding. However, not all actions are specifically enumerated. Those which are not enumerated are subject to a six-year statute pursuant to CPLR 213. In general, separate treatment is afforded to commencement of actions based upon contract (CPLR 213) and tort (CPLR 214(6)).
Legal malpractice is different. It is often described as both a tort and a breach of retainer contract. Shumsky v. Eisenstein, 96 NY2d 164 (2001). Whether it is a "tort" or a "contract" is generally decided by the nature of the damages sought, Sears Roebuck & Co. v. Enco Assocs., 43 NY2d 389 (1977); Santulli v. Englert, 78 NY2d 700 (1992). Tort damages are those which compensate a plaintiff for all of the "reasonably foreseeable injury suffered." PJI 2:277. Contract damages are to "indemnify plaintiff for the gains prevented and the losses sustained by the breach of the retainer contract." PJI 4:20.
Initially different periods of limitation were applied to legal malpractice claims in tort and in contract, Santulli, supra. In reaction to Santulli, the Legislature shortened the statute of limitations to three years for breach of contract claims in 1996. Now, legal malpractice is enumerated in Article 2 and is subject solely to a three-year statute of limitations under CPLR 214[6] no matter how the claim is denominated. This three-year statute is applicable whether the claim is called tort or contract, and applies all other descriptions. Whether it is "fraud," "breach of fiduciary duty," or any other claim, should the allegations arise from professional representation of the client by the attorney it is subject to a three-year statute, Ulico Cas. v. Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, 56 AD3d 1 (1st Dept. 2008); Melendez v. Bernstein, 29 AD3d 872 (2d Dept. 2006).
Calculating the onset and length of the legal malpractice statute of limitations is enormously complex. To begin, it is not always clear when the clock starts to run. Several considerations govern that calculation. These include the date of the mistake, whether that mistake immediately causes problems, continuing representation, and the maturing of an actionable injury, To further complicate the analysis there is equitable tolling and equitable estoppel."
Read more: http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/PubArticleNY.jsp?id=1202629531207&Statute_of_Limitations_in_Legal_Malpractice#ixzz2lkqm76Up