Litigation glossary

Tolling Agreement

A contract that pauses the statute-of-limitations clock on a claim without filing a lawsuit. Firms use tolling agreements to hold large claim inventories unfiled — legally alive but not yet on any court's docket.

Filing a federal lawsuit costs $405 per case, so firms holding thousands of claims often negotiate tolling agreements with defendants: the limitations clock stops, and the claims wait while bellwethers and settlement talks play out. It is a court-recognized, routine practice.

For claimants the practical point is simple: a signed retainer is not the same thing as a filed lawsuit — and you have the right to ask your firm exactly where your claim sits: filed, tolled, or in a registry.

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