Defamation · District of Columbia
For Defamation · District of Columbia, limitation period is 1 year; when the clock starts is from the time the right to maintain the action accrues; section is 12–301; how the statute describes it is for libel, slander, assault, battery, mayhem, wounding, malicious prosecution, false arrest or false imprisonment, verified against its source on 2026-08-25.
- Type of claim
- Defamation our reading
- State
- District of Columbia verified
- Limitation period
- 1 year verified
- How the statute describes it
- for libel, slander, assault, battery, mayhem, wounding, malicious prosecution, false arrest or false imprisonment verified
- When the clock starts
- from the time the right to maintain the action accrues verified
- Section
- 12–301 verified
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
What the source says
§ 12–301. Limitation of time for bringing actions. [(a)] Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, actions for the following purposes may not be brought after the expiration of the period specified below from the time the right to maintain the action accrues: (1) for the recovery of lands, tenements, or hereditaments— 15 years; (2) for the recovery of personal property or damages for its unlawful detention— 3 years; (3) for the recovery of damages for an injury to real or personal property— 3 years; (4) for libel, slander, assault, battery, mayhem, wounding, malicious prosecution, false arrest or false imprisonment— 1 year;
— code.dccouncil.gov, retrieved 2026-08-25
Source
- code.dccouncil.govhttps://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/12-301