Statutes of Limitations Tolled as a Result of COVID-19

Statutes of Limitations Tolled as a Result of COVID-19

As individuals and businesses struggle to process and address the impact of the pandemic outbreak on their business, Ohio’s Legislature has come to the aid of individuals and businesses alike to buy them more time with regard to actions that must be taken by certain statutorily or administratively created deadlines.

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On March 26, 2020, House Bill 197 was forwarded to the Governor and was signed into law on Friday, March 27, 2020.  The Bill, tolls any expiring administrative limitation or statute of limitation created under the Revised Code until July 30, 2020.  The Bill is retroactive to March 9, 2020 and is designed to allow individuals or businesses additional time to assess, and/or take, any actions which may have been on the verge of expiring. 

Additionally, for individuals or businesses already in litigation, the statute provides some additional relief from pending discovery cut-off and other pretrial deadlines. 

The most immediate effect of this statute may come into play with regard to Board of Revision filing deadlines, that are set to expire March 31, 2020.  Any business or individual who has taken a closer look at their real estate valuation issues as a result of this pandemic may wish to contact Mike Sandner at Pickrel, Schaeffer and Ebeling Co., L.P.A. to explore whether there is still an opportunity to pursue these claims even after the March 31, 2020 deadline as a result of the passage of House Bill 197.