Consult an attorney as soon as possible, because the statute of limitations (the time deadline to sue) depends on the type of claim that you have. Some claims have very short deadlines to file claims. Only after an attorney has determined what types of claims you have can the attorney tell you how long you have to file suit. For example, in California, a party has 4 years from the date of breach of a written contract to file suit (this can be changed in the contract or based on other facts). However, if there is no writing, then it is only 2 years. Other claims have different deadlines and sometimes even require filing administrative claims before filing suit.