Statute of Limitations for Assault and Battery (intentional tort) in Kentucky

Overview

In Kentucky, the statute of limitations (SOL) for an intentional tort claim such as assault and battery is 5 years, using Kentucky’s general limitations rule in KRS 500.020.

As a practical matter, you normally start by checking whether Kentucky has a claim-type-specific SOL for assault and battery. In this reference-page context, no assault/battery-specific sub-rule was found, so the general/default 5-year period is the baseline for most timing calculations.

Limitation period

Kentucky’s general SOL for applicable civil actions is 5 years under KRS 500.020. The most important practical question is: when does the clock start for your specific allegations? The deadline you calculate will be driven by the trigger date you use.

What DocketMath uses as inputs

When you use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator, you’ll typically provide:

• Date of the alleged assault/battery (or the date of the last relevant act you’re relying on)
• Confirmation that you’re working with a civil limitations-period timeline (the calculator is focused on limitations timing, not liability)
• Optional inputs (if your scenario supports them) for tolling/delayed accrual adjustments

How the output changes

Because SOLs measure time from a trigger event, your output will shift when your inputs change:

• Earlier incident date → earlier deadline date
• Later incident date → later deadline date
• Tolling/delayed accrual inputs included → deadline may shift forward depending on the adjustment

Here’s a simple illustration using the 5-year baseline (not legal advice—just a timing example):

• If the last alleged act occurred on January 15, 2021, a straightforward 5-year clock would point to a deadline around January 15, 2026 (the exact end-date can vary based on how time is counted for filings).

Common timing pitfalls to watch

Most SOL problems come from using the wrong start date.

• Last act vs. first act: If there are multiple incidents, the last relevant act date may control for a conservative “latest-possible” deadline.
• Continuing conduct / ongoing effects: If allegations span multiple dates, courts may treat the accrual trigger differently depending on the claims and facts.
• Accrual arguments and framing: Even if KRS 500.020 sets the general period, the practical accrual date can depend on how the claim is pleaded.

Key exceptions

While the baseline period is 5 years under KRS 500.020, exceptions or related doctrines may affect the effective deadline. Because this page is intended to cover the general/default rule for assault and battery timing, treat the items below as checkpoints before relying on a plain 5-year schedule.

1) Claims governed by a different (specific) statute

Even with KRS 500.020 as a starting point, some causes of action may be subject to different SOL periods if they are brought under statutory schemes rather than a common-law intentional tort theory.

Quick checklist:

2) Tolling or delayed accrual

The “clock” may be paused or start later in some circumstances. Tolling concepts and accrual rules can be highly fact- and pleading-dependent.

In practice, the safest approach is:

• confirm the accrual trigger you are using (i.e., what event starts the clock in your scenario), and
• use the calculator inputs that match that trigger and any tolling facts you’re asserting.

3) Multiple incidents or continuing effects

When allegations involve more than one date, the SOL deadline may track the latest operative date (depending on how the claim is pleaded and what is legally considered the accrual event).

Quick method:

Statute citation

KRS 500.020 (Kentucky general limitations rule; 5-year default).

This reference-page uses KRS 500.020 as the governing statute because no assault-and-battery-specific SOL sub-rule was identified here. Accordingly, the 5-year period should be treated as the general/default timeframe for civil assault and battery claims unless a specific rule or tolling doctrine applies.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath to convert the KRS 500.020 5-year baseline into a practical deadline based on your trigger date(s). The primary goal is to calendar an SOL deadline you can track.

Start here:

• **/tools/statute-of-limitations

What to do in the calculator (practical workflow)

1. Enter your trigger date

   • Choose the date tied to the last alleged act you plan to rely on for the intentional tort claim (for conservative planning when multiple dates are involved).
2. Select the jurisdiction

   • Confirm US-KY / Kentucky.
3. Review the computed deadline

   • The result should reflect 5 years from your trigger date, and it may shift if you include any tolling/delayed accrual inputs supported by the calculator for your scenario.

Input/output checklist

If your deadline looks close, consider acting quickly—SOL deadlines can be unforgiving.

Sources and references

Start with the primary authority for Kentucky and confirm the effective date before relying on any output. If the rule has been amended, update the inputs and rerun the calculation.

• Ky. Rev. Stat. § 413.140

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator