Is the law student's promise contained in the letter enforceable?

• A. Yes, because the promise was made after the statute of limitations had run.
• B. Yes, because the debt is still within the three-year window.
• C. No, because there was no new consideration to revive the debt.
• D. No, because a promise to pay a time-barred debt is never enforceable.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that a debt barred by the statute of limitations can be revived by a debtor’s new promise to pay, provided the promise is made in writing and signed by the debtor. That written promise restarts the limitations period, making the debt enforceable again even though the original limit had passed. The promise in a letter satisfies the requirement for a new, enforceable promise to pay, and the revival does not depend on new consideration.

In this scenario, the law student’s promise is in writing and made after the limitations period ran, so it revives the debt and allows enforcement on the promise.

The other options miss this nuance: simply being within the window would mean there was no time-bar to begin with; revival does not require new consideration, so that reason wouldn’t block enforcement; and it is false that a promise to pay a time-barred debt is never enforceable—revival through a written promise after the SOL can render it enforceable.