Article 2: Limitation of Actions · Last amended 1972 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section gives a two-year deadline for professional negligence and breach-of-warranty claims involving professional services, extends that by up to one year if the injury wasn’t reasonably discoverable in time, but never allows a suit more than ten years after the professional act or omission occurred.
Full Text of § 25-222
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Any action to recover damages based on alleged professional negligence or upon alleged breach of warranty in rendering or failure to render professional services shall be commenced within two years next after the alleged act or omission in rendering or failure to render professional services providing the basis for such action; Provided, if the cause of action is not discovered and could not be
reasonably discovered within such two-year period, then the action may be commenced within one year from the date of such discovery or from the date of discovery of facts which would reasonably lead to such discovery, whichever is earlier; and provided further, that in no event may any action be commenced to recover damages for professional negligence or breach of warranty in rendering or failure to render professional services more than ten years after the date of rendering or failure to render such professional service which provides the basis for the cause of action.
Source
Laws 1972, LB 1132, § 1.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-222 governs claims that someone rendering professional services — a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or other professional — did the job negligently or breached a warranty about how the service would be performed. The basic deadline is two years, running from the alleged act or omission, not from when harm became apparent.
Because professional negligence often isn’t obvious right away, the section adds a discovery extension. If the cause of action wasn’t discovered and couldn’t reasonably have been discovered within that two-year window, the plaintiff instead gets one year from the date of actual discovery, or from the date they discovered facts that would reasonably have led to discovery — whichever of those two dates comes first.
That discovery extension has an absolute outer boundary: no action for professional negligence or breach of warranty in rendering professional services may be brought more than ten years after the date of the act or omission that gives rise to the claim, no matter when the harm was discovered. This is the section frequently at issue in a medical malpractice case, but its two-year, discovery-extended, ten-year-capped structure applies to professional negligence generally, not only to medical claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to sue for medical malpractice in Nebraska?
Two years after the alleged act or omission, under section 25-222, which governs professional negligence claims generally, including medical malpractice, subject to a discovery extension and a ten-year absolute cap.
What if I didn’t discover the malpractice until years after it happened?
If the cause of action wasn’t discovered and couldn’t reasonably have been discovered within the two-year period, you get one year from the date of actual discovery, or from discovering facts that would reasonably lead to discovery, whichever comes first.
Is there an absolute outer limit even if I discover the injury late?
Yes. No action may be brought more than ten years after the date of the act or omission, regardless of when the injury was discovered.
Does this section apply only to doctors, or to other professionals too?
It applies to professional negligence or breach of warranty in rendering or failing to render professional services generally, covering professionals beyond just physicians.
How does this relate to the general malpractice deadline in section 25-208?
Section 25-208’s two-year malpractice period applies only when no other statute specifically limits the claim. Section 25-222 is that more specific statute for professional negligence, and it controls over section 25-208’s general rule.
Does this deadline apply to construction defect claims against architects or engineers?
Claims involving deficiencies in the design, planning, supervision, or observation of construction of an improvement to real property are instead governed by section 25-223’s separate deadline, which uses a similar discovery-and-cap structure tailored to real property improvements.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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