The clean hands doctrine is an equitable defense in contract and tort law that posits that one must come to court with clean hands. In other words, if someone has violated a law or acted with any level of bad faith, then a court can reject their appeal of a contract or a tort claim. This is on the basis that one cannot expect justice if they don’t act justly.
Examples of Clean Hands Doctrine
A modern example of this in a contract dispute might be in the case of a company that has violated the terms of their agreement with another party. If that company then brings a suit against the other party for breach of contract, the other party can raise the clean hands doctrine as a defense. In this way, the clean hands doctrine will often prevent a company from bringing a suit against another when they have behaved in a manner that is, in itself, unjust.
Benefits of the Clean Hands Doctrine
The benefit of this doctrine is that it enforces a moral standard of behavior that is necessary for justice to prevail. It ensures that parties that come to court must be acting in good faith and that they have not violated any laws or norms. This requirement of a moral standard helps preserve fairness and integrity in the court system.
Conclusion
The clean hands doctrine encourages ethical behavior by insisting that those seeking justice must have behaved ethically as well. It ensures fairness and the pursuit of justice in the court system by preventing companies from profiting off of their own mistreatment of others.