Lopez v. State

The equitable doctrine of laches bars litigation of a claim when there is unreasonable delay in its assertion and the delay results in prejudice to the opposing party.1 Laches derives from concerns similar to those that undergird statutes of limitations. Both devices — one a product of legislation, the other a development of the common law — are intended to set time limits on the assertion of claims. While their origin and operation as originally conceived were distinct, in modern times their operation has converged.2 This case concerns a *654convergence of the two in the context of a…