Unclean hands, sometimes clean hands doctrine, is an equitable defense in which the defendant argues that the plaintiff is not entitled to obtain an equitable remedy on account of the fact that the plaintiff is acting unethically or has acted in bad faith with respect to the subject of the complaint-that is with 'unclean hands'. The defendant has the burden of proof to show the plaintiff is not acting in good faith. The doctrine is often stated as "those seeking equity must do equity". In most litigation under the common law adversarial system the defendant, perhaps with the assistance of counsel, may allege or present defenses (or defences) in order to avoid liability, civil or criminal. ... A defendant is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ... A plaintiff, also known as a claimant, or a complainant is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an action) before a court. ... // General definition Business ethics is the branch of ethics that examines ethical rules and principles within a commercial context; the various moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business setting; and any special duties or obligations that apply to persons who are engaged in commerce. ... For the practice in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Assume good faith. ... In general use, a complaint is an expression of displeasure, such as poor service at a store, or from a local government, for example. ... In the common law, burden of proof is the obligation to prove allegations which are presented in a legal action. ...

At law, equitable remedies are generally remedies other than the payment of damages. This would include such remedies as obtaining an injunction, or requiring specific performance of a contract. Before the development of the courts of equity in Great Britain, such remedies were unavailable in the common law courts. Such remedies were developed in the equity courts as the payment of damages was often not a sufficient remedy for a plaintiff in certain circumstances. For example, if a land owner polluted the land of the neighbour, the common law tort of nuisance would only allow the innocent party to recover damages. Common law had no remedy that would force the defendant to stop the pollution. Equity courts developed such a remedy, the injunction, that provided an ongoing bar to the activity that caused the damage. Damages, in law has two different meanings. ... An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that either prohibits or compels (enjoins or restrains) a party from continuing a particular activity. ... In the law of remedies, a specific performance is a demand of a party to perform a specific act. ... This article is about concept of equity in Anglo-American jurisprudence. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... In the common law, a tort is a civil wrong for which the law provides a remedy. ... Nuisance is a common law tort. ... Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ...

Equity courts realized that such extraordinary remedies were only justified in extraordinary cases, and would generally not grant such a remedy where damages were sufficient to make the plaintiff whole. For example, if a car dealership broke a contract of sale and refused to deliver a particular car, which now could only be obtained for $10,000 more than what the plaintiff was willing to pay, the courts would merely award the plaintiff $10,000. It would not force the dealer to obtain the exact same car and sell it to the plaintiff. However, if the subject matter of the sale were a particular work of art, the court would order specific performance and require the sale of the art work.

However, equity courts also realized that these extraordinary remedies were subject to abuse. For example, if a doctor had signed a non-compete agreement with a clinic, the non-compete clause might prevent the doctor from earning a living if he left the clinic's employment. As such, the court will generally only grant these remedies on the strictest terms. If there is any indication that the plaintiff seeking the remedy had acted in bad faith, either prior to the commencement of the litigation or afterwards, the court will generally not grant the remedy. For example, if the doctor left the clinic because it was involved in insurance fraud, a court would most likely refuse to enforce the non-compete agreement by issuing an injunction, although it might allow the clinic to recover damages if they did lose business to the doctor. A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in order to recover a right, obtain damages for an injury, obtain an injunction to prevent an injury, or obtain a declaratory judgment to prevent future legal disputes. ...

See also

• Equity