statute of limitation on fraud/theft

Hello, I currently live in Maryland, but the
states in which the incident took place was
California & Pennsylvania. I was involved
with someone for about 5 years when my
parents died within three months of each
other in the year 1981. My parents insurance
left me the amount of $60,000 most of which
then went to pay off my parents remaining debts
and funeral expenses. Having no experience in hand-
ling this large a sum, I turned to my 'boyfriend' of 5
years for help in trying to put the remainder of the
money in a safe account where it would gain interest
for the future. The boyfriend then offered to 'deposit'
$20,000 in an account in my name in his home state of
Pennsylvania. He instead turned around and used my
money to buy himself a business which he still owns.
Since that time I have been unable to get any kind of
answer from him and do not want to be sued for harass-
ment. I do not seek revenge; I just want the original sum
returned to me and as recompense, he should pay all court
costs and lawyer's fees. Is this now impossible? Is it now a
case of his word against mine? Can I cite this all happened
while I was under *extreme* duress, which is the truth. Thank You.

Two questions are critical in determining if you have any legal remedies available.

1) What was the date of the 'loan'?
2) What was the date of any last 'loan' involvement (payments, etc.)

Pennsylvania's Statute of Limitations is 4 years for open and written contracts; if it has been longer than that you probably have little recourse.

To answer your questions in order,
the incident happened in 1982 and it
was all in a lump sum in a cashier's
check.
The reason I ask now is because
I hear of cases where a man stands trial
for romancing several women and then making
off with their money and/or property.
If there are more than 3 or 4 women involved,
could the time limit on prosecuting the offen-
der be waived?
I do have a feeling that I am not the first
of this guy's victims. I am not seeking to harm
anyone, my husband of 12 years says that it may
be futile to go after this guy because whatever
I recover would go towards court costs and lawyers
fees.

Nope, the number of victims doesn't affect the "statutory clock". Since it happened 19 years ago, regretfully, you have no recourse at this time.

One idea though... you might contact the county where he lives (or lived) and ask if they have any records of court judgments against him. If so, you might be able to contact other victims who were able to get him in a timely manner. There is a possiblity that your information might help them in their judgment.