timebarred

Timebarred is an adjective used to describe something that is blocked or prohibited because a prescribed time limit has elapsed. It is most commonly used in legal and administrative contexts to indicate that a right, claim, or action cannot be pursued because the relevant deadline has passed. The term can refer to lawsuits, appeals, claims for damages, or submissions that must be filed within a statutory or regulatory period.

Etymology and variants: timebarred derives from time and bar, with the hyphenated form time-barred being standard in formal writing. Some sources also use timebarred as a closed compound. The word emphasizes time as the barrier to action.

Usage in law: time-barred claims are those that are no longer cognizable in court due to expiration of the statute of limitations or a similar deadline. For example, a negligence claim filed after the applicable period is time-barred. The concept also appears in administrative decisions where applications or appeals are barred by deadlines.

Tolling and exceptions: deadlines can be tolled or postponed under certain circumstances, such as discovery rules, minority, or fraud. Even when a claim would otherwise be time-barred, some doctrines like equitable tolling or the defense of laches may prevent enforcement.

Other contexts: time-barred can be used outside litigation to describe deadlines in contracts, grant applications, or competition rules where late submissions are excluded.

See also: statute of limitations, prescription, laches, tolling, estoppel, accrual.