Opinion ID: 2631012
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: defining the point at which a cause of action accrues

Text: ¶ 5 Before determining whether the limitations in the Governmental Tort Claims Act and those in 12 O.S. Supp.2005 § 95 (A)(11) may be read in pari materia, we must first determine at what point a cause of action accrues. Plaintiff argues that a cause of action accrues when the claim may be maintained, while defendant argues that a cause accrues at the moment the elements of the breach arise. Oklahoma courts have used these definitions interchangeably and without regard to any possible disparity. [2] The court encapsulated its apparent conclusion with respect to the synonymy of the definitions when it wrote: The elements of a cause of action arise, that is, the cause of action accrues when a litigant first could have maintained his action. [3] The court has also held that the term accrual means to become a present and enforceable demand. [4] On one occasion, a dissenter articulated accrual in a slightly different manner: Generally, it may be said that a cause of action accrues for purposes of statutory limitations when a party becomes entitled to enforce a claim against another. [5] Regarding these definitions in light of the more prevalent articulations leads one to the inescapable conclusion that a cause of action does not accrue until the claim may be maintained. ¶ 6 Defendant argues that a plaintiff must complete all the notice requirements and file suit within one entire year because One waits at his own risk. [6] That reference appears in a case that involved a delay in giving notice to the appropriate political subdivision. Here, GTCA's § 157 states, A person may not initiate a suit against the state or a political subdivision unless the claim has been denied in whole or in part. The instant case is distinguishable because, while no procedure dehors the GTCA calls for a delay pending giving notice, the terms of the GTCA do so require by commanding a delay before a suit may be brought. In short, a plaintiff has no access to the courts while awaiting the political subdivision's decision. ¶ 7 Because under GTCA's § 157(A) the right to sue does not attach until the claim has been denied or is deemed denied, we hold that causes of action brought under the GTCA do not accrue until that point.