Georgia Ante Litem Notices

Posted in: Personal Injury by Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers

Georgia personal injury victims typically have two years to file a lawsuit after they’re injured. That two-year filing window is called the “statute of limitations.” If a personal injury victim doesn’t file their lawsuit before the statute of limitations period ends, the court might dismiss their lawsuit.

Two years might sound like a long time. But, it’s not. Personal injury investigations often take many months. In fact, it typically takes 3-6 months for a victim’s lawyer to obtain the victim’s medical records. If medical causation is disputed, the victim’s lawyer may also have to hire an expert to review the case before it’s filed.

If a personal injury victim was injured by a city, county, or state entity, they must serve an “ante litem” notice before filing their lawsuit. “Ante litem” is a Latin phrase that translates to “before the action.” An ante litem notice puts the government entity on notice that the injury victim may sue them. The ante litem notice deadline typically ranges from 6 months to 1 year depending upon the government entity that caused the injury. If a personal injury victim doesn’t serve that notice before the deadline, a court may dismiss their lawsuit.

Georgia City Ante Litem Notice Requirements

Georgia city employees injure many personal injury victims. For instance, your loved one may have been unjustly shot and killed by the city police department. Or, a city employee may have injured you in an auto wreck.

If a city employee injured you, you must act fast. In fact, you only have 6 months to serve your ante litem notice. Your Georgia city ante litem notice must be served by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery on the mayor or the chairperson of the city council. Your ante litem notice must also contain the following facts:

Time, place and injury extent;
Negligent acts; and,
Damages amount.

Georgia State Ante Litem Notice Requirements

Georgia state ante litem notices must be served by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery, return receipt requested, on the Department of Administrative Services within 12 months of the injury. Additionally, the injury victim must personally serve a copy of the ante litem notice to the state government entity. Georgia’s state ante litem notices must contain the following information:

State government entity’s name;
When the incident occurred;
Where the incident occurred;
Injury type;
Damages amount; and,
Negligent acts.

Georgia County Ante Litem Notice Requirements

Georgia county ante litem notices must be served within 12 months of the incident. County ante litem notices don’t have any specific requirements. However, injury victims should include as much information as possible in the notice. That way, the county cannot deny that they were aware of the claim.

If you were injured by a Georgia city, state, or county employee, you should contact Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers ASAP. Our legal team will ensure that your ante litem notice is fully detailed and timely served.

Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got the answers.