Opinion ID: 1617215
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Heading: Timeliness of the State's Action.

Text: The State commenced this action less than eight months after the most recent of defendant's five convictions for driving while intoxicated. In deciding that the action had not been timely the trial court noted that all of the Missouri convictions occurred more than six years prior to the filing of the petition in this matter. It is not clear whether the court considered section 321.555 to be a statute of limitations which barred the action or instead dismissed the action by applying the equitable doctrine of laches. We therefore address both theories. A. Limitations. Nothing within Iowa Code sections 321.555-.560 expressly limits the time within which the action may be commenced. We conclude that there is no language in those provisions which can properly be construed as a statute of limitations. The period of six years measures only the period within which three or more final convictions must have been rendered, not the period during which the civil action must have been brought. It is true that when the State considers charging a defendant with second or third offense driving while intoxicated it cannot use convictions that occurred more than six years before the immediate violation charged. Iowa Code § 321.281(2) (1983). That limitation, however, affects only the criminal offense charged and neither expressly nor impliedly affects habitual traffic offender civil actions. The State's action was not barred by any special statute of limitations within Iowa Code chapter 321. B. Laches. For an action to be barred by laches the party asserting that affirmative defense has the burden to establish its essential elements by clear, convincing and satisfactory evidence. Rowen v. LeMars Mutual Insurance Co., 282 N.W.2d 639, 647 (Iowa 1979). Laches is an equitable doctrine which relates to delay in the assertion or prosecution of a claim, working to the disadvantage or prejudice of another. Davenport Osteopathic Hospital Ass'n v. Hospital Service, Inc., 261 Iowa 247, 261, 154 N.W.2d 153, 162 (Iowa 1967). The doctrine is applied only where it would be inequitable to allow a person making a belated claim to prevail. See Moser v. Thorp Sales Corp., 256 N.W.2d 900, 908 (Iowa 1977). Each case is governed chiefly by its own circumstances. Lovlie v. Plumb, 250 N.W.2d 56, 63 (Iowa 1977). Defendant did not prove that he was prejudiced by delay; neither did he demonstrate inequitable circumstances involved in the State's commencement of this action. Indeed, defendant offered no evidence at all during the show cause hearing. Defendant argues that the State should not be allowed to time its filing of license revocation actions to effect consecutive periods of revocation for a single offense. Nothing in this record, however, indicates that the State intended to deprive defendant of his driving privileges for more than the period of up to six years authorized by section 321.560. The trial court erred in dismissing the State's action to revoke defendant's drivers license. The evidence conclusively established that the State was entitled to prevail. We therefore reverse and remand the case to the district court with directions that it make appropriate findings and enter an appropriate order, pursuant to Iowa Code section 321.559, directing that defendant not operate a motor vehicle on Iowa highways for a period of not less than two years nor more than six years from the date of its judgment. REVERSED AND REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.