laches

laches

A doctrine of equity,or fairness,holding that people cannot sleep on their rights and then, after the passage of time and possibly the intervening claims of other people,suddenly demand that the law fix everything.The concept is similar to a statute of limitations,except that it has no fixed time period and is totally dependent on the particular circumstances of a case.

Example: Ruby plants 10 pecan trees on the wrong side of her property line with Jake. Jake knew this when the first shovel of dirt was turned, but he remained silent. Seven years later Ruby begins harvesting pecans to supplement her income, but Jake sues her and claims the pecans belong to him. Most likely the court will rule that Jake's claims are barred by laches and Ruby may harvest pecans until the trees stop bearing.