Actions for damages for loss of consortium or other actions, including actions for the medical expenses of minors or persons under legal disability, deriving from injury to the person of another, except damages resulting from first degree murder or the commission of a Class X felony, shall be commenced within the same period of time as actions for damages for injury to such other person. Where the time in which the cause of action of the injured person whose injuries give rise to the cause of action brought under this Section is tolled or otherwise extended by any other Section of this Act, including Sections 13-211, 13-212 and 13-215, the time in which the cause of action must be brought under this Section is also tolled or extended to coincide with the period of time in which the injured person must commence his or her cause of action.
13-203.Loss of consortium - Injury to person.
Article XIII. Limitations · Part 2. Personal Actions · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRequires loss-of-consortium claims and similar derivative claims, including a minor's medical-expense claim, to be filed within the same period as the underlying injured person's own claim, and extends the same tolling that applies to that person's claim.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/13-203
Plain-English Summary
A spouse's loss-of-consortium claim, or a claim for the medical expenses of a minor or person under legal disability, exists because someone else was hurt. This section ties the deadline for those derivative claims to the underlying injured person's own limitations period, rather than setting an independent one — except that damages resulting from first degree murder or a Class X felony fall outside this section, matching the carve-out in Section 13-202.
The tolling rule follows the same logic. If the injured person's own claim is tolled or extended under another section of this Act — the section names Sections 13-211, 13-212, and 13-215 as examples — the derivative claim under this section is tolled or extended right along with it, so the two claims stay on the same clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a loss of consortium claim in Illinois?
The same period of time that applies to the injured spouse's own claim for injury to the person.
Does a minor's claim for medical expenses have its own separate deadline?
No. It runs on the same period as the claim for the injury to the person from which it derives.
If the injured person's deadline is extended, does the consortium claim get extended too?
Yes. Where the injured person's time is tolled or extended under a section like 13-211, 13-212, or 13-215, this claim is tolled or extended to match.
Are consortium claims tied to a murder or Class X felony covered by this section?
No. The section excludes damages resulting from first degree murder or the commission of a Class X felony.
What kinds of claims does this section cover besides loss of consortium?
Other actions, including claims for the medical expenses of minors or persons under legal disability, that derive from an injury to another person.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 88-22.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: illinois loss of consortium statute of limitationsstatute of limitations for spouse's injury claim illinoisminor medical expenses claim deadline illinoisderivative claim statute of limitations illinois