Equitable relief will not be granted to a suitor unless he comes into court with clean hands.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) A party seeking equitable relief must come to court with clean hands — if the plaintiff has acted inequitably regarding the subject matter of the suit, the court will deny the requested relief.

Where this applies

• A plaintiff sues to enforce a contract he obtained through his own fraud, and the court denies relief because he does not come with clean hands.
• A business partner who secretly diverted company funds seeks an injunction to prevent the other partner from dissolving the partnership, but the court refuses to help someone guilty of the very misconduct at issue.
• A landlord who illegally shut off utilities to force a tenant out then sues the tenant for unpaid rent, and the court denies the claim because the landlord's own wrongdoing bars equitable relief.