New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214

Last Updated Aug. 16, 2021

Although CPLR 214 and CPLR 214-C offer some insight on New York Statutes of Limitations, CPLR 214-A provides the answer concerning the applicable limitations period to commence a medical malpractice action in New York.

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New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214

  • Civil Practice Law and Rules
    • Article 2. LIMITATIONS OF TIME (§§ 201 to 218)
      • New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214, Actions to be commenced within three years: for non-payment of money collected on execution; for penalty created by statute; to recover chattel; for injury to property; for personal injury; for malpractice other than medical, dental or podiatric malpractice; to annul a marriage on the ground of fraud

Section 214. Actions to be commenced within three years: for non-payment of money collected on execution; for penalty created by statute; to recover chattel; for injury to property; for personal injury; for malpractice other than medical, dental or podiatric malpractice; to annul a marriage on the ground of fraud

The following actions must be commenced within three years:

  1. an action against a sheriff, constable or other officer for the non-payment of money collected upon an execution;
  2. an action to recover upon a liability, penalty or forfeiture created or imposed by statute except as provided in sections 213 and 215;
  3. an action to recover a chattel or damages for the taking or detaining of a chattel;
  4. an action to recover damages for an injury to property except as provided in section 214-c;
  5. an action to recover damages for a personal injury except as provided in sections 214-b, 214-c and 215;
  6. an action to recover damages for malpractice, other than medical, dental or podiatric malpractice, regardless of whether the underlying theory is based in contract or tort; and
  7. an action to annul a marriage on the ground of fraud; the time within which the action must be commenced shall be computed from the time the plaintiff discovered the facts constituting the fraud, but if the plaintiff is a person other than the spouse whose consent was obtained by fraud, the time within which the action must be commenced shall be computed from the time, if earlier, that that spouse discovered the facts constituting the fraud.

Learn more about how to use Bloomberg Law’s State Statutes of Limitations tool to find the right statute – every time.

New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214-A

  • Civil Practice Law and Rules
    • Article 2. LIMITATIONS OF TIME(§§ 201 to 218)
      • New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214-A, Action for medical, dental or podiatric malpractice to be commenced within two years and six months; exceptions

Section 214-A. Action for medical, dental or podiatric malpractice to be commenced within two years and six months; exceptions

An action for medical, dental or podiatric malpractice must be commenced within two years and six months of the act, omission or failure complained of or last treatment where there is continuous treatment for the same illness, injury or condition which gave rise to the said act, omission or failure; provided, however, that:

(a) where the action is based upon the discovery of a foreign object in the body of the patient, the action may be commenced within one year of the date of such discovery or of the date of discovery of facts which would reasonably lead to such discovery, whichever is earlier; and

(b) where the action is based upon the alleged negligent failure to diagnose cancer or a malignant tumor, whether by act or omission, the action may be commenced within two years and six months of the later of either (i) when the person knows or reasonably should have known of such alleged negligent act or omission and knows or reasonably should have known that such alleged negligent act or omission has caused injury, provided, that such action shall be commenced no later than seven years from such alleged negligent act or omission, or (ii) the date of the last treatment where there is continuous treatment for such injury, illness or condition. For the purpose of this section the term “continuous treatment” shall not include examinations undertaken at the request of the patient for the sole purpose of ascertaining the state of the patient’s condition. For the purpose of this section the term “foreign object” shall not include a chemical compound, fixation device or prosthetic aid or device.

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New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214-C

  • Civil Practice Law and Rules
    • Article 2. LIMITATIONS OF TIME (§§ 201 to 218)
      • New York Consolidated Laws, N.Y. CPLR § 214-C, Certain actions to be commenced within three years of discovery

Section 214-C. Certain actions to be commenced within three years of discovery

  1. In this section: “exposure” means direct or indirect exposure by absorption, contact, ingestion, inhalation, implantation or injection.
  2. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 214, the three year period within which an action to recover damages for personal injury or injury to property caused by the latent effects of exposure to any substance or combination of substances, in any form, upon or within the body or upon or within property must be commenced shall be computed from the date of discovery of the injury by the plaintiff or from the date when through the exercise of reasonable diligence such injury should have been discovered by the plaintiff, whichever is earlier.
  3. For the purposes of sections fifty-e and fifty-i of the general municipal law, section thirty-eight hundred thirteen of the education law and the provisions of any general, special or local law or charter requiring as a condition precedent to commencement of an action or special proceeding that a notice of claim be filed or presented within a specified period of time after the claim or action accrued, a claim or action for personal injury or injury to property caused by the latent effects of exposure to any substance or combination of substances, in any form, upon or within the body or upon or within property shall be deemed to have accrued on the date of discovery of the injury by the plaintiff or on the date when through the exercise of reasonable diligence the injury should have been discovered, whichever is earlier.
  4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions two and three of this section, where the discovery of the cause of the injury is alleged to have occurred less than five years after discovery of the injury or when with reasonable diligence such injury should have been discovered, whichever is earlier, an action may be commenced or a claim filed within one year of such discovery of the cause of the injury; provided, however, if any such action is commenced or claim filed after the period in which it would otherwise have been authorized pursuant to subdivision two or three of this section the plaintiff or claimant shall be required to allege and prove that technical, scientific or medical knowledge and information sufficient to ascertain the cause of his injury had not been discovered, identified or determined prior to the expiration of the period within which the action or claim would have been authorized and that he has otherwise satisfied the requirements of subdivisions two and three of this section.
  5. This section shall not be applicable to any action for medical or dental malpractice.
  6. This section shall be applicable to acts, omissions or failures occurring prior to, on or after July first, nineteen hundred eighty-six, except that this section shall not be applicable to any act, omission or failure:

a. which occurred prior to July first, nineteen hundred eighty-six, and

b. which caused or contributed to an injury that either was discovered or through the exercise of reasonable diligence should have been discovered prior to such date, and

c. an action for which was or would have been barred because the applicable period of limitation had expired prior to such date.

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