In New Jersey, medical malpractice plaintiffs have a two-year statute of limitations period that typically begins to run from the date of harm. The statute of limitations serves as a deadline. If the deadline passes without you having filed a lawsuit, then you will no longer have a right of recovery in the courts. It’s, therefore critical, that you get in touch with a qualified NJ medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible after harm was caused by opioid use. In some situations, the statute of limitations will not necessarily begin to run on the date of harm. For example, where the harm itself is not actually discovered until a later date, the statute of limitations will begin to run on the date when the injury is discovered, not when the malpractice happened. This is particularly pertinent in cases where dependence may not be diagnosed until years after the initial prescription.