Some jurisdictions have passed statutes of repose in the context of products liability law, or for probate court proceedings.
"[2][3] In simple terms, a statute of limitations may start to run at a date other than when a wrongful act or omission allegedly occurred, or may be extended based upon factors that delay the reasonable discovery of an injury or the plaintiff's ability to take action, while a statute of repose is triggered by the completion of an act and is not ordinarily subject to extension or exception.
For example, a statute of repose may bar an action from being commenced after a specific number of years from the date when the product was initially delivered.
Because statutes of repose impose an absolute bar for actions against manufacturers, typically based on the date that allegedly defective goods are delivered or installed rather than the date when they cause harm, they are strongly favored over a statute of limitations by industry trade groups and opposed by consumer organizations and tort lawyers.
For example, legislatures often set deadlines for actions such as will contests,[7] or for the submission of claims by creditors that the estate owes them money.
[9] Under a typical statute of repose, creditors of a decedent who do not act upon receiving actual or constructive notice that an estate has been opened have their claims cut off, and cannot disturb the peaceful possession of the distributed assets by the heirs.