The litigation process can be scary and many claims must be brought within a certain period of time.  This “period of time” is often referred to as the “statute of limitations” and virtually every type of claim has its own time limitation.  For example, most personal injury claims (but not all injury claims) must commence within two years from the date of the injury.

So what does “commence” actually mean? The law treats the commencement of a claim when the claim is filed as a complaint with the court having jurisdiction over the case.  Thereafter, the lawsuit must be properly served within a specific amount of time as well. 

There are even local court rules requiring the completion of service of summons and complaint upon the defendant (the person being sued).