Michigan's Three-Year Starting Point Is Not a Universal Deadline
MCL 600.5805(2) commonly starts Michigan analysis with a three-year filing period when damages are sought for harm to a person or property, but that is not a universal deadline. The controlling date can change with the claim type, accrual rule, repose provision, defendant, government notice, benefit system, estate appointment, insurance contract, and other statutory conditions.
Classify the Claim Before Counting Any Days
Identify every possible legal route arising from the event. An ordinary bodily injury claim, medical-malpractice matter, product case, wrongful death, highway defect, Court of Claims action, workers' compensation filing, no-fault benefit dispute, or alcohol-provider case may carry a different clock or a prerequisite that arrives earlier.
An injury claim lawyer should record the event date, first injury or symptom, discovery facts, treatment dates, death date if applicable, defendant identity, government involvement, employment relationship, policy notices, prior filings, and any signed extension or release. Do not assume that negotiations, treatment, or an internal appeal pauses a limitations period.
Put Specialized Michigan Conditions on a Separate Calendar
Many Michigan highway-defect claims require notice within 120 days, and Court of Claims matters can involve distinct filing or notice provisions. Work injuries generally call for notice within 90 days and may allow up to two years to claim subject to the statute; the agency urges immediate reporting.
Wrongful-death timing can combine the underlying limitations rule with the estate-representative saving provision. Michigan's retail-licensee alcohol statute includes a two-year action period and a 120-day written notice after the attorney-client relationship begins, along with other conditions. These examples show why one countdown cannot govern every Detroit injury.
Build the Deadline Sheet From Official Text and Documents
For each route, state the event that starts the clock, duration, source, notice recipient, required content, service method, filing forum, exceptions, and unresolved facts. Add contractual notice and suit-limitation language from every potentially applicable insurance policy rather than assuming it matches the statute.
Use the earliest defensible date as the working deadline until current law and facts are verified. Preserve proof of delivery for notices and filings, and do not wait for complete damages documentation before addressing timing. This general information cannot calculate an individual deadline; the calculation requires the full claim classification and current authority. At S&S Law, we help Detroit clients with filing deadlines.