Consumer Protection - Consumer Contracts - Limitations Periods

SB 413 prohibits consumer contracts from including shorter time limits for filing lawsuits than Maryland law requires. It directly affects consumers and businesses entering contracts for personal, family, or household goods/services (like cell phone plans or home services), making any such short time limit clause void and unenforceable. The bill ensures courts cannot uphold these clauses or allow defendants to use them as a defense, requiring all consumer contracts to comply with Maryland’s standard statute of limitations. This applies only to contracts signed on or after October 1, 2025, with no retroactive effect.