In New Jersey, the statute of limitations for most debt collection lawsuits based on a contract is six years. This means a debt collector generally cannot successfully sue you for a debt that is older than six years from the date of your last activity on the account. However, threatening to sue or actually suing on a time-barred debt is a potential FDCPA violation. The Kugel Law Firm can help determine if a debt is time-barred and protect you from illegal collection attempts on old debts.