Brookline, MA asked in Criminal Law and Civil Litigation for Massachusetts

Q: I was victimized in a foreign country. 3 years later I was ejected from it. did that stop statute of limitations clock?

I was a university professor in a foreign country. I was the target of several criminal actions and several other possible ones. Two to three years later -- in 2008 -- I was pushed out of the country in a process that might itself have been illegal [I was ejected from a hospital]. It is now 15 years from that point. Would being forced out of the country at that time toll the statute of limitations there [whatever it might be]? I want to be able to bring suit vs those parties now.

1 Lawyer Answer
Thomas Shack III
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Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Licensed in Massachusetts

A: Whether being forced out of another country would toll the statute of limitations depends on the specific laws of the country/jurisdiction in question. There may be no statute of limitations at all for certain crimes/claims in the other country. If the alleged crimes were committed in the United States, there may be federal or state statutes of limitation for prosecuting a criminal case and/or to file a civil claim. They vary by state for the most part and federal laws typically have their own statutes of limitation as well.

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