The doctrine of equitable estoppel prevents a defendant from asserting the statute of limitations as a defense when the defendant has engaged in conduct that was calculated to mislead the plaintiff into believing that it was unnecessary to file suit. Thus, our courts have recognized that equitable estoppel may be appropriate where a defendant has lulled plaintiff into a false sense of security by representing that a claim will be amicably settled or resolved without the necessity for litigation. Such is the case when an association is engaged in settlement discussions with a developer and the developer promises to repair all identified defects and water intrusion issues in the community.
The important caveat regarding equitable tolling is that if, after the cessation of any basis for continued reliance by a plaintiff on the conduct of a defendant, there remains a reasonable time under the applicable limitations period to commence a cause of action, the action will be barred if not filed within this remaining time. Thus, while the discovery rule defers the accrual of a cause of action and provides a full six (6) years after discovery of injury and fault to file suit, equitable tolling delays the bar of the statute of limitations once a cause of action has accrued and may provide less than the full six years to file a claim if plaintiff has “a reasonable time” after the basis for equitable tolling has ceased to file under the original limitations period. What constitutes “reasonable” is not well delineated and will likely turn on the specific facts of each case.