What is the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Minnesota?

6 years for personal injury (uncommonly long); 4 years for medical malpractice. Source: Minn. Stat. § 541.05, § 541.076. Filing after the period expires generally bars the claim absent a recognised tolling exception (minority, incapacity, or in some jurisdictions delayed discovery of the injury).

Are there caps on damages in Minnesota?

Minnesota does not impose a state-specific statutory cap on the standard heads of damage in personal injury cases. Federal caps and any applicable contractual or governmental immunity limits may still apply.

Does Minnesota operate a no-fault auto insurance scheme?

Yes. Minnesota is a no-fault auto insurance jurisdiction. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is the first line of recovery for medical expenses and wage loss, with thresholds before tort recovery is available.

How are settlements typically valued in Minnesota?

Practitioners and adjusters in Minnesota value claims using the same building blocks applied across United States: medical specials, future care projections, lost earnings (past and future), and general damages for pain and suffering. The fault rule (modified comparative, 51% bar) and any applicable cap then adjust the gross figure. The absence of state-specific caps means the band is constrained primarily by jury verdict ranges and insurance policy limits.

Should I hire a Minnesota attorney for a personal injury claim?

For anything beyond a clear soft-tissue claim with admitted liability and modest damages, yes. Minnesota's fault rule and any applicable caps materially affect the calculus, and adjusters value represented claims significantly higher than unrepresented ones. Most Minnesota personal injury attorneys work on contingency (no fee unless you recover), with fees typically in the 33–40% range.

★ US · Midwest

Personal injury in
Minnesota.

By MyClaimWorth EditorialReviewed by Abd Shanti, FounderPublished 9 May 20267 min read

Minnesota applies modified-51 comparative fault with a six-year personal-injury statute of limitations, uncommonly long for the United States.

Minnesota operates modified-51 comparative negligence. The general personal-injury statute of limitations is six years, among the longest in the US (matched only by Maine and a few specialised actions elsewhere). Medical malpractice runs in four years. PIP no-fault applies to motor injury with a serious-injury threshold for tort recovery.

united states · sister site

In the US? See what your case could be worth.

FairSettlement runs a free case check in about two minutes. Real settlement ranges for your state, no cost and no obligation.

Check my case

★ statute of limitations

6 years for personal injury (uncommonly long); 4 years for medical malpractice

Minn. Stat. § 541.05, § 541.076

★ fault rule

Modified comparative, 51% bar

Modified comparative, recovery barred at 51% claimant fault.

★ MN · key facts

What makes Minnesota different.

The handful of details that distinguish this jurisdiction from its neighbours.

Modified-51% bar
6-year SOL for general PI, uncommonly long
4-year med-mal SOL
Full PIP no-fault scheme
No general non-econ cap

★ MN · by injury

Claim values by injury type.

Reported decisions, the limitation clock, and how fault is apportioned for each injury type under Minnesota law.

★ MN · court decisions

What Minnesota courts have decided.

Reported Minnesota decisions for each injury type, each with a link to the judgment and to the full injury guide.

Whiplash
Peterson v. Western National Mutual Insurance Co.
Minnesota Court of Appeals · 2019
Over $1.4 million UIM verdict; $100,000 plus $97,940.50 fees for bad faith
Alison Peterson suffered a whiplash injury in a 2009 crash that was not her fault and developed severe daily headaches, later managed with Botox injections that two neurologists expected she would need for life.
whiplash in Minnesota →
Whiplash
Kern v. Janson
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2011
Court of Appeals reversed; case sent back
After a 2004 crash in St. Cloud, Michelle Kern won $3,423.43 for her car in conciliation court without a lawyer.
whiplash in Minnesota →
Back & spine
Howard v. Svoboda
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2017
Appeal dismissed; case returns to trial court
Anita Howard sought care for back pain from a car accident in 2009 and had back surgery that August.
back & spine in Minnesota →
Back & spine
Johnson v. Concrete Treatments
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2024
Direct claim for unpaid medical bills allowed
Daniel Johnson herniated his L5-S1 disc lifting furniture at work in 2005 and lived with pain for years.
back & spine in Minnesota →
Head & brain
Henson v. Uptown Drink
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2019
Summary judgment reversed; claims go forward
In March 2011, two men drank heavily at a Minneapolis bar; one of them, by his own estimate, had 6 to 10 beers and shots.
head & brain in Minnesota →
Head & brain
MFK v. Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District
Minnesota Court of Appeals · 2024
School district immune; claim dismissed
In May 2017, nine year old MFK was at a school softball practice with several stations when another player accidentally hit her in the forehead with a bat, leaving a permanent bump.
head & brain in Minnesota →
Fracture
Staab v. Diocese of St. Cloud
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2014
$224,200.70 verdict; diocese pays its 50%
At a 2005 event at Holy Cross Parish School, Richard Staab pushed his wife Alice’s wheelchair through a doorway and over an unmarked five inch drop, and she fell and broke her leg.
fracture in Minnesota →
Fracture
Roller-Dick v. CentraCare Health System
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2018
Benefits awarded; affirmed
Laurie Roller-Dick was leaving work down a stairway not usually open to the public, holding a plant in both hands with her bag on her arm and not using the rails, when she fell and fractured her left ankle.
fracture in Minnesota →
Medical negligence
Rygwall v. ACR Homes
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2024
Summary judgment reversed
Amy Rygwall, who was non verbal, used a wheelchair and had daily seizures, aspirated food on New Year’s Eve 2015 at her group home.
medical negligence in Minnesota →
Medical negligence
Luczak v. St. Mary’s Medical Center
Minnesota Court of Appeals · 2024
Dismissal affirmed
Jolene Luczak had surgery in 2019 for an artery compressed behind her knee.
medical negligence in Minnesota →
Workplace
Montemayor v. Sebright Products
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2017
Summary judgment reversed; claim to a jury
Nereus Montemayor, a laborer at a hog farm near Claremont, reached into an extruder that crushes food containers to clear a jam while a coworker ran the machine.
workplace in Minnesota →
Workplace
Mattick v. Hy-Vee Food Stores
Minnesota Supreme Court · 2017
Denial of benefits reinstated
Debra Mattick, a cake decorator, broke her right ankle in 2000, before she joined Hy-Vee, and later developed post traumatic arthritis.
workplace in Minnesota →

★ MN · rules that decide claims

The rules in Minnesota.

Statutes and rulings that come up again and again in Minnesota injury claims, each with its source.

No-fault threshold	In a car crash case you can recover pain and suffering only if medical expenses exceed $4,000 or the injury causes permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, death, or disability of 60 days or more.Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3
Fault rule	Your fault “does not bar recovery … if the contributory fault was not greater than the fault of the person against whom recovery is sought,” but damages are reduced by your share.Minn. Stat. § 604.01, subd. 1
Deadline to sue	Six years for negligence claims “for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract.”Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(5)
Seat belt use	Not wearing a seat belt is not admissible in injury or property damage litigation.Minn. Stat. § 169.685, subd. 4; see our seat belt table
Malpractice deadline	An action against a health care provider for malpractice, error, mistake or failure to cure must be started within four years from when the cause of action accrued.Minn. Stat. § 541.076(b)
Claims against government	Notice within 180 days for cities and for the State; liability is capped at $500,000 per claimant and $1.5 million per occurrence.Minn. Stat. §§ 466.05, 466.04, 3.736; see our notice table
Paying only your share	A defendant who is only severally liable cannot be required to pay more than its equitable share through reallocation, even when another person’s share cannot be collected.Staab v. Diocese of St. Cloud (Minn. 2014)
Causation standard	The expert affidavit statute, Minn. Stat. § 145.682, does not create a higher bar for proving causation in medical malpractice cases than in other negligence cases.Rygwall v. ACR Homes (Minn. 2024)

★ other US jurisdictions

Compare across United States.

How Minnesota compares with its neighbours in the Midwest on fault rule and limitation period.

Jurisdiction	Fault rule	Limitation
Minnesota· you are here	Modified comparative, 51% bar	6 years for personal injury (uncommonly long); 4 years for medical malpractice
Illinois (IL)	Modified comparative, 51% bar	2 years from date of injury
Indiana (IN)	Modified comparative, 51% bar	2 years from date of injury
Iowa (IA)	Modified comparative, 51% bar	2 years from date of injury
Kansas (KS)	Modified comparative, 50% bar	2 years from date of injury
Michigan (MI)	Modified comparative, 51% bar	3 years from date of injury
Missouri (MO)	Pure comparative negligence	5 years for personal injury; 2 years for medical malpractice
Nebraska (NE)	Modified comparative, 50% bar	4 years for personal injury; 2 years for medical malpractice
North Dakota (ND)	Modified comparative, 50% bar	6 years for personal injury; 2 years for medical malpractice
Ohio (OH)	Modified comparative, 51% bar	2 years from date of injury
South Dakota (SD)	Slight versus gross negligence	3 years from date of injury
Wisconsin (WI)	Modified comparative, 51% bar	3 years from date of injury

Every United States jurisdiction compared

★ MN · frequently asked

Common questions.

Common questions about personal injury claims in Minnesota, answered with the relevant statutory references.

What is the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Minnesota?
6 years for personal injury (uncommonly long); 4 years for medical malpractice. Source: Minn. Stat. § 541.05, § 541.076. Filing after the period expires generally bars the claim absent a recognised tolling exception (minority, incapacity, or in some jurisdictions delayed discovery of the injury).
What fault rule applies in Minnesota?
Modified comparative, 51% bar. Modified comparative, recovery barred at 51% claimant fault.
Are there caps on damages in Minnesota?
Minnesota does not impose a state-specific statutory cap on the standard heads of damage in personal injury cases. Federal caps and any applicable contractual or governmental immunity limits may still apply.
Does Minnesota operate a no-fault auto insurance scheme?
Yes. Minnesota is a no-fault auto insurance jurisdiction. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is the first line of recovery for medical expenses and wage loss, with thresholds before tort recovery is available.
How are settlements typically valued in Minnesota?
Practitioners and adjusters in Minnesota value claims using the same building blocks applied across United States: medical specials, future care projections, lost earnings (past and future), and general damages for pain and suffering. The fault rule (modified comparative, 51% bar) and any applicable cap then adjust the gross figure. The absence of state-specific caps means the band is constrained primarily by jury verdict ranges and insurance policy limits.
Should I hire a Minnesota attorney for a personal injury claim?
For anything beyond a clear soft-tissue claim with admitted liability and modest damages, yes. Minnesota's fault rule and any applicable caps materially affect the calculus, and adjusters value represented claims significantly higher than unrepresented ones. Most Minnesota personal injury attorneys work on contingency (no fee unless you recover), with fees typically in the 33–40% range.

united states · sister site

Injured in Minnesota? See what your own claim could be worth.

FairSettlement, our US sister site, gives you a free estimate in about two minutes. No cost and no obligation.

Check my case

★ federal context

Back to United States

All injury bands, statutes, and procedural pathway at the US level.

★ the working

How we derive bands

Per-jurisdiction methodology, estimates, and known limits.

★ standing authority

Sources we cite

The statutes, guidelines and court sites the pages cite.

★ editorial note

This page summarises the Minnesota statutory framework as of 2026-05-09. It is not legal advice. Statutes change, published verdicts move, and the position within any band depends on facts the page can't see. For representation, consult an attorney qualified in Minnesota. See /methodology, /sources, and /disclaimer.

Personal injury inMinnesota.

Personal injury in
Minnesota.