Laches

The" Doctrine of laches" is the failure to timely assert one's rights or a claim
in a given matter. The failure to take action on a timely basis misleads an adverse party that no breach has occurred. For example, an adjacent property owner constructs a roadway across the neighbor's property to gain access to a waterway. Since the neighbor never asserted his property rights in a timely manner, the doctrine of laches prevented the roadway from being with-drawn or receiving compensation at a later period.