If I got bit in the face by a dog when I was 2 years old and am now 22 and in college, can I sue him now for emotional damage?
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If I got bit in the face by a dog when I was 2 years old and am now 22 and in college, can I sue him now for emotional damage?
My mother didn’t sue the guy that owned the dog because she had a crush on him.
Asked on October 5, 2012 under Personal Injury, Minnesota
Answers:
Leigh Anne Timiney / Timiney Law Firm
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
At this point it is likley too late for you to pursue any type of claim relating to the dog bite. It has been two decades. Most states allow individuals a certain period of time after becoming an adult to pursue a claim for something that happened when you were a minor, because most states recognize that a minor cannot bring a claim on their own. That being said, most states consider the age of adulthood 18 and the majority of states allow a person two years after becoming an adult to pursue a claim for an injury they suffered while they were a minor. Additionally, emotional distress claims alone are very difficult to pursue. It is going to be a challenge for you to show that for the past 20 years you have been suffering emotionally to the point that it affects your daily life due solely and directly to this dog bite.
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