In law, the “statute of limitations” is the deadline for bringing a claim or case. If a creditor wishes to sue a debtor in order to collect a debt, such as a medical bill resulting from a surgery or hospital visit, the creditor must sue before the statute of limitations runs out of time. If the creditor misses the deadline and the statute of limitations expires, the claim will be time-barred, which means the creditor will be unable to file a lawsuit. However, waiting for the