The traditional vested-right test is primarily based on which concept?

• A. Place of execution
• B. Territorial
• C. Where cause accrues
• D. Place of accident

Answer: (C)

The key idea is accrual of the claim for purposes of applying statutes of limitations across jurisdictions. Under the traditional vested-right theory, the rights of the plaintiff and the ability to sue become fixed at the moment the cause of action “vests.” For most tort-type issues, that vesting happens where the cause accrues—the place where the wrong occurred and the injury was suffered. That is why the correct concept is where the cause accrues.

Placing the focus on the place of execution or place of accident shifts attention to different aspects (contract formation or the location of the injury itself in a rough sense) and does not capture the moment when the plaintiff’s right to sue arises under the vested-right framework. A territorial rule or a generic “where the accident happened” doesn’t specify the accrual moment, which is what determines which statute of limitations applies.