WHAT IS A “STATUTE OF REPOSE?
A statute of repose is a period of time after which no case can be brought against somebody, for whatever reason, according to Larry Goldhirsch, a New York plaintiffs attorney with 38 years of experience whose practice represents aviation accident victims. He explained: A statute of repose is in place because sometimes, when a product fails, it doesnt fail for many years after it is manufactured. For example, if a product was manufactured in 1990, but doesnt fail until 2008, a person whos injured by that product could theoretically sue within three years (if thats the statute of limitations for failed products in that particular state) or 2011. But 2011 would be 21 years after the product was made and 21 years is so long a period of time that it may not be fair to require the manufacturer of a product made 21 years ago to defend itself in that product liability case. How does that affect an aviation case? Many times airplanes that are involved in accidents are old planes, according to
