Opinion ID: 2508574
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Determination of Whether the Statute of Limitations Barred Morrison's Malpractice Claim

Text: In Morrison's case, we conclude that the court of appeals and the trial court properly determined that the statute of limitations barred Morrison's malpractice claim. As we explained, the statute of limitations bars negligence actions brought more than two years after the claim accrues. § 13-80-102(1). Claims accrue when a plaintiff knows or should know through reasonable diligence of both the injury and its cause. § 13-80-108(1). Here, Morrison's action accrued more than two years before he brought the malpractice action. Morrison appears to have known of Goff's negligence in May, 1997, when he filed a formal complaint with the Office of Supreme Court Disciplinary Counsel alleging negligence by Goff. Because Morrison brought his malpractice action in September, 1999, it is outside the statute of limitations. Moreover, Morrison has not presented any facts under which principles of equity might toll the statute of limitations. Therefore, because Morrison's claim was filed more than two years after his claim accrued, and because the statute of limitations in his case is not tolled, we hold that the statute of limitations bars his claim. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals affirming the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Goff.