How Long Do I Have To File For A Medical Malpractice Lawsuit? Often, victims of medical malpractice delay filing a case, only to find that the time period has elapsed for lodging a lawsuit. Most patients do so because they do not know the time limit for filing a lawsuit for medical negligence. When you do not know whether you can seek reimbursement for a medical negligence act or whether the time period has already passed, we ask you to check with professional medical malpractice attorneys in order to learn time limits and any information relating to the medical malpractice lawsuit.