Limitation Act extends limitation period for actions for damages for negligence not involving personal injuries
25 July 2018
The Limitation (Amendment) Act 2018 (“Amendment Act”) was gazetted on 4 May 2018 and will come into force on a date to be appointed.
The Amendment Act amends the Limitation Act 1953 to provide for the extension of the limitation period in relation to actions for damages for negligence not involving personal injuries. The key amendments under the Amendment Act include the following:
- Extension of the limitation period of three years from the date of knowledge of the person having the cause of action founded on negligence not involving personal injuries. A new section 6A considers negligence cases involving latent damage in construction cases, where the damage was not discoverable through general inspection and the person having the cause of action did not know or could not have reasonably expected the damage. The section also prevents any person from instituting court proceedings more than 15 years after the cause of action accrued even if it results in the extended limitation period being less than three years or even though the damage is discovered after 15 years.
- A special limitation period for a person under a disability for cases under the new section 6A. The limitation period is three years from the date the person ceased to be under a disability or died but the action cannot be brought after 15 years from the date the cause of action accrued.
The Limitation (Amendment) Act 2018 is available on the Federal Gazette website www.federalgazette.agc.gov.my or by clicking here.