Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-110
§2335 Limitation of Actions
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 113B — TERRORISM › § 2335
Summary
You must start a damages lawsuit under this federal law within 10 years after the claim begins. If the person you're suing was out of the United States or out of any place where the suit could be filed, or if they hid their location, that time does not count toward the 10 years.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §2335
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In General.—
Subject to subsection (b), a suit for recovery of damages under section 2333 of this title shall not be maintained unless commenced within 10 years after the date the cause of action accrued.
(b)Calculation of Period.—
The time of the absence of the defendant from the United States or from any jurisdiction in which the same or a similar action arising from the same facts may be maintained by the plaintiff, or of any concealment of the defendant’s whereabouts, shall not be included in the 10-year period set forth in subsection (a).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2013—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–239, § 1251(a)(1), substituted “10 years” for “4 years”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–239, § 1251(a)(2), substituted “10-year period” for “4-year period”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2013 Amendment Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title XII, § 1251(b), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2017, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section] shall apply to any civil action arising under section 2333 of title 18, United States Code, that is pending on, or commenced on or after, the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 2, 2013].”
Effective Date
Section applicable to any pending case or any cause of action arising on or after 4 years before Oct. 29, 1992, see section 1003(c) of Pub. L. 102–572, set out as a note under section 2331 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 2335
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110