A man may obey the law and yet be neither honest nor a good neighbor.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Mere legal compliance does not satisfy the demands of natural law or equity — a man may shelter behind the letter of the statute while violating every principle of good conscience. This maxim reinforces why equity looks beyond technical legality to the substance of a party's conduct and the dictates of natural justice.

Where this applies

• A landlord technically complies with every building code but refuses to return a tenant's security deposit for no reason; the court notes that legal compliance alone does not satisfy the demands of good faith and fair dealing.
• A business follows the letter of its contract but deliberately withholds information that would help the other party; the court observes that obeying the law does not make a man honest or a good neighbor.
• A neighbor builds a fence exactly on the property line — perfectly legal — but does so solely to block his neighbor's view out of spite; equity may still intervene because lawfulness alone does not equal justice.