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DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW — NOT FINAL

Sykes v. RBS Citizens, N.A., 2 F. Supp. 3d 128 (2014)

Citation
Sykes v. RBS Citizens, N.A., 2 F. Supp. 3d 128 (2014)
Parent Document
Sykes v. RBS Citizens, N.A., 2 F. Supp. 3d 128 (2014)
Jurisdiction
New Hampshire (state)
Effective Date
2014-03-04

Other Sections in This Document (127)

Full Text

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Under certain circumstances, “mental illness can equitably toll a federal statute of limitations.” Riva v. Ficco, 615 F.3d 35, 40 (1st Cir.2010) (tolling the statute of limitations in the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 because of petitioner’s mental illness); see also Nunnally v. MacCausland, 996 F.2d 1, 6-7 (1st Cir.1993) (same for the Civil Service Reform Act). In the First Circuit, for equitable tolling on the basis of mental incompetence to apply, a plaintiff must be unable to pursue his legal rights or communicate with counsel because of his mental incompetence. See Riva, 615 F.3d at 40 (the question for equitable tolling is whether the plaintiff “suffered from a mental illness or impairment that so severely impaired his ability either effectively to pursue legal relief to his own behoof or, if represented, effectively to assist and communicate with counsel”); Calderon-Garnier v. Rodriguez, 578 F.3d 33, 39 n. 3 (1st Cir.2009) (the appropriate question is “whether plaintiffs mental condition rendered her incapable of rationally cooperating with any counsel, and/or pursuing her claim on her own during the limitations period”) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); Nunnally, 996 F.2d at 6-7 (same); Melendez-Arroyo v. Cutler-Hammer de P.R. Co., Inc., 273 F.3d 30, 37 (1st Cir.2001) (mental incapacity must be “so severe that [plaintiff] was unable to engage in rational thought and deliberate decision making sufficient to pursue [his] claim alone or through counsel”) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).