The Limitation Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 21) was an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

that simplified the law relating to limitation periods in England & Wales. The Act was based on the fifth report of the

Law Revision Committee A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...

and is divided into three parts, with Part I dealing with limitation periods, Part II dealing with exceptions and Part III dealing with general matters. Section 2 of Part I introduces a new limitation period; six years for all cases in

tort A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...

and

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

. The period runs from the point where the injury or problem was created, not from when it was discovered; thus, the Act replicates problems later solved by the

Limitation Act 1963 The Limitation Act 1963 (c. 47) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amended the statute of limitations to allow actions in some cases where the injured party had not discovered the injury until after the standard date of exp ...

. Part II allows for a "resetting" of the limitation period in situations where the party is insane, not a legal adult or imprisoned for either the death penalty or for penal servitude.

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1939 Statutes of limitations