Laches

Definition

An equitable defense that bars a claim when a party has unreasonably delayed in asserting its rights, and that delay has caused prejudice to the opposing party. It functions similarly to a statute of limitations but is more flexible and based on fairness considerations.

Examples

• •Justice Sotomayor noted that some state courts historically applied laches to bar challenges to void judgments, undermining petitioner's claim of a uniform common law rule.

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