Opinion ID: 1697057
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: types of limitations

Text: [¶ 39.] When the Legislature placed time limits on actions against medical practitioners, the Legislature could have chosen from at least four types of limitations. The first limitations are notice statutes. Peterson, 2000 SD 27 at ¶ 13, 607 N.W.2d at 12. If proper notice is not given within a certain limited time, then the injured party cannot sue. SDCL 3-21-2 is an example of a notice statute that requires a claimant to give notice to a public entity within 180 days of an injury. [¶ 40.] The second limitations are statutes of limitations. A statute of limitations requires a lawsuit to be filed within a specified period of time after a legal right has been violated or the remedy for the wrong committed is deemed waived. Zacher v. Budd Co., 396 N.W.2d 122, 129, n5 (S.D.1986). [¶ 41.] The third limitations are statutes of repose. A statute of repose bars all actions after a specified period of time has run from the occurrence of some event other than the occurrence of an injury that gives rise to a cause of action. All statutes of limitation must proceed on the idea that the party has full opportunity afforded him to try his right in the courts. However, since a statute of repose begins to run from a date unrelated to the date of an injury, it is not designed to allow a reasonable time for the filing of an action once it arises. Therefore, a statute of repose may bar the filing of a lawsuit even though the cause of action did not even arise until after it was barred and even though the injured person was diligent in seeking a judicial remedy. Berry v. Beech Aircraft, 717 P.2d 670, 672 (Utah 1985). Id. [¶ 42.] The fourth limitations are survival statutes. In M.S. v. Dinkytown Day Care Center, Inc., 485 N.W.2d 587 (S.D.1992), this Court held: The distinction between a survival statute and a statute of limitations, `is that a statute of limitations affects the time that a stale claim may be brought while a survival statute gives life for a limited time to a right or claim that would have been destroyed entirely but for the statute. These survival statutes arbitrarily extend the life of the corporation to allow remedies connected with the corporation's existence to be asserted.' Id. at 589 (citation omitted) (emphasis in original). A survival statute cannot be tolled. Id. at 590.