Legal Definitions - unclean-hands doctrine

The unclean-hands doctrine is a legal principle that states a party cannot seek equitable relief or assert an equitable defense if they have violated an equitable principle, such as good faith. This means that if a party has acted unfairly or dishonestly, they cannot ask a court to help them.

For example, the Uniform Child CustodyJurisdiction Act has an unclean-hands provision that forbids a court from exercising jurisdiction in a child-custody suit in certain situations. This includes when one party has wrongfully removed a child from another state, has improperly retained custody of a child after visitation, or has wrongfully removed a child from the person with custody.

The clean-hands doctrine evolved from the discretionary nature of equitable relief in English courts of equity, such as Chancery. It is based on the idea that a party who seeks equity must do so with clean hands.

Overall, the unclean-hands doctrine is a way to ensure that parties act fairly and honestly in legal proceedings. It prevents those who have acted improperly from benefiting from their actions.