Final answer:
The time a plaintiff has to file a suit, or the 'statute of limitations,' varies, but was extended for cases of discriminatory paychecks by the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 to six months following any discriminatory paycheck.
Step-by-step explanation:
The amount of time a plaintiff has to file a suit varies depending on the type of case and the jurisdiction in which the case is being filed. This legal timeframe is known as the 'statute of limitations.' In the case of Lilly Ledbetter, the Supreme Court's decision highlighted the constraints of the statute of limitations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. They deemed that Ledbetter had not filed her lawsuit within the necessary timeframe, interpreting each discriminatory paycheck as not separate acts of discrimination. Consequently, this understanding significantly changed with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was the first piece of legislation signed by President Obama. The Act extended the period to six months following any discriminatory paycheck and is applicable to pay discrimination based on various factors, such as race, religion, disability, or age. In general, civil cases require that the contesting matter should be valued at more than twenty dollars as per the Seventh Amendment, which preserves the right to a jury trial in such cases.