Cost of Delay Modeler Guide for Minnesota

What this calculator does

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Cost Of Delay calculator.

DocketMath’s Cost of Delay Modeler (Minnesota) helps you estimate how the value of time (money, business impact, interest-like costs, or other quantifiable effects) can change if a case takes longer to resolve. You provide timing and cost assumptions, and the tool estimates delay cost over a chosen timeframe.

This guide is written for Minnesota and is designed to connect two practical ideas:

• Time-to-resolution scenarios (e.g., “30 extra weeks,” “delay until trial date,” or “continuance effects”)
• Statutory constraint on how long charges can typically be pending via the statute of limitations (SOL)

For Minnesota, the general SOL for certain criminal offenses is 3 years under Minnesota Statutes § 628.26. The typical SOL structure matters because the “outer boundary” for when delays can become legally relevant is grounded in statute.

When to use it

Use DocketMath’s Cost of Delay Modeler when you want a defensible, numbers-first view of how delay affects outcomes you can quantify. Common triggers in Minnesota workflows include:

• Comparing resolution paths

  • “Resolve sooner” vs. “proceed to trial later”
• Evaluating settlement timing

  • estimating cost impact if negotiations extend
• Business planning

  • payroll impact, contract performance, licensing deadlines, or operational interruption
• Risk budgeting

  • determining how much cost you can absorb per week/month of delay
• Case timeline planning

  • scenario testing before scheduling milestones (e.g., continuances, witness availability, motion practice)

How SOL context affects the model

Because Minnesota’s statute of limitations baseline referenced in this guide is 3 years, you can use the model to keep your scenario ranges realistic. Under Minnesota Statutes § 628.26, the general limitations period is 3 years (with an exception noted below).

• Statute: Minnesota Statutes § 628.26
• SOL Period (baseline): 3 years
• Exception (V1): referenced as an exception in the jurisdiction data you’re working from
• Source reference (contextual): https://minnesotacourtrecords.us/criminal-court-records/gross-misdemeanor/

Step-by-step example

Below is a concrete walkthrough showing how to set up inputs in DocketMath and interpret outputs for Minnesota.

Example scenario: comparing a “base timeline” to a “delayed timeline”

Assume you’re modeling a situation where a resolution could occur sooner or later. Let’s build two scenarios:

• Scenario A (base): resolution in 9 months
• Scenario B (delay): resolution in 13 months
• Difference: 4 extra months

1) Choose your cost categories

Pick costs you can estimate with receipts, payroll, or operational records. Typical inputs include:

• Weekly/monthly fixed cost (e.g., insurance premium increase, contracted support cost)
• Variable cost per delay unit (e.g., revenue loss per month)
• Financing cost / opportunity cost (if you quantify it as an effective rate)
• One-time costs triggered by delay milestones (e.g., relocation costs, extended compliance fees)

In the calculator, you’ll typically represent these as:

• a cost per time unit (weekly or monthly), plus
• an optional rate-based growth component if the tool supports it in your configuration.

If you need to revisit the calculator structure, see Related reading below.

2) Set the timeline inputs

For this example:

• Base resolution: 9 months
• Delayed resolution: 13 months
• Time unit: month (use what aligns with your costs)

So delay cost is driven by the extra 4 months.

3) Assign your monthly cost assumptions

Let’s say you estimate:

• $600/month in measurable carrying costs
  (e.g., extra admin time, storage, or continuing business overhead)

And you also estimate a loss component that is not purely linear—so you add a rate-based part if your model supports it. For simplicity in this example, we’ll keep it linear:

• Variable impact: $900/month

Total assumed cost per month:

• $600 + $900 = $1,500/month

4) Run the model and compare outputs

Scenario A (9 months):

• $1,500/month × 9 months = $13,500

Scenario B (13 months):

• $1,500/month × 13 months = $19,500

Estimated delay cost (difference):

• $19,500 − $13,500 = $6,000

Connecting the model to Minnesota’s SOL baseline (3 years)

Now, widen the scenario range slightly to show why SOL context can matter for planning.

• Baseline SOL period: 3 years under Minnesota Statutes § 628.26 (source: Minnesota Statutes § 628.26; contextual reference: https://minnesotacourtrecords.us/criminal-court-records/gross-misdemeanor/)
• 3 years = 36 months

If your modeling assumes something like:

• 13 months delay (our example) = within 36 months
• 30 months delay = within 36 months
• 40 months delay = beyond the baseline SOL period

That doesn’t automatically mean a legal conclusion, but it helps you keep budgeting assumptions aligned with a statutory ceiling you can cite during internal decision-making.

Common scenarios

DocketMath’s Cost of Delay Modeler is most useful when you treat delay as a variable you can compare across practical storylines. Here are common Minnesota-style budgeting scenarios and how to map them to inputs.

1) Negotiations extend by a few months

Typical pattern

• You start with an expected resolution date
• negotiations take 2–10 additional months

Model approach

• Set two timelines:

  • expected timeline (e.g., 6 months)
  • delayed timeline (e.g., 10 months)
• Use monthly carrying costs + revenue/operational impacts

2) Motion practice adds structured time

Typical pattern

• motions, responses, hearings add weeks or months
• delay is not always linear (bursts of cost)

Model approach

• If the calculator supports it, enter:

  • a base monthly cost
  • plus one-time spikes (e.g., “$2,500 for extended compliance work”)
• Then test:

  • “short motion cycle” vs. “extended cycle”

3) Continuance(s) push a scheduled milestone

Typical pattern

• one continuance: +8 weeks
• second continuance: +12 weeks

Model approach

• Convert weeks to months in a consistent unit
• Run:

  • baseline = before continuance
  • delayed = after all continuances

4) Case management changes the expected trial window

Typical pattern

• scheduled trial window shifts from “soon” to “later”

Model approach

• Use a range:

  • low end (e.g., 14 months)
  • high end (e.g., 22 months)
• Produce a sensitivity table (shown below)

Quick sensitivity table (example)

(Use your real numbers. The structure is what matters.)

Tips for accuracy

Getting useful outputs depends on entering assumptions that match how costs actually behave. Use the checklist below before you rely on any estimate.

Cost inputs checklist

• Fixed: same amount regardless of delay length

  • Variable: changes with each additional time period
  • payroll burden calculations, documented overhead, contract penalties
  • if you include “lost revenue,” don’t also include “missed opportunity cost” unless you can defend overlap
  • costs should reflect the delta between timelines, not the total cost of living with the issue

Timeline accuracy checklist

• the baseline SOL in Minnesota Statutes § 628.26 is 3 years

  • calendar delay: time passes no matter what
  • event delay: time passes because a milestone can’t occur

Statute-based context you can cite in your internal write-up

If you’re documenting your budgeting rationale, you can reference:

• Minnesota Statutes § 628.26
• SOL Period (baseline): 3 years
• Context reference used for jurisdiction framing: https://minnesotacourtrecords.us/criminal-court-records/gross-misdemeanor/

Related reading

• Cost of Delay Modeler Guide for Alabama
• Cost of Delay Modeler Guide for Arizona
• Cost of Delay Modeler Guide for California