Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices: 11.2.3.2 Fraudulent Concealment and Equitable Estoppel
Although courts use inconsistent terminology, they often recognize three interrelated grounds for tolling: fraudulent concealment, equitable estoppel, and equitable tolling.89 Fraudulent concealment is shown if the defendant has wrongfully deceived or misled the plaintiff in order to conceal the existence of a cause of action. Equitable estoppel takes place when the plaintiff knows about the cause of action but the defendant engages in intentional conduct to cause the plaintiff to miss the filing deadline.