Equitable Defenses (Laches · Unclean Hands · Estoppel)
Remedies · Lesson 11
Equitable Defenses (Laches · Unclean Hands · Estoppel)
這一課問的是：衡平抗辯是否阻卻 P 之衡平救濟？
ActorActObjectStandardConsequence
Issue · what this lesson is really about
Does an equitable defense bar P's equitable claim?
這一課問的是：衡平抗辯是否阻卻 P 之衡平救濟？
Trigger words & phrases that should flag this issue:
delayprejudiceunclean handsestoppellaches
Core Terminology · 7 must-know
Tap a card to flip and reveal the meaning.
laches
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Unreasonable delay + prejudice to D bars equitable relief.
遲延阻卻。
unclean hands
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P's own wrongdoing bars equitable relief.
不潔之手。
equitable estoppel
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D detrimentally relied on P's representations.
衡平禁反言。
waiver
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Voluntary relinquishment of known right.
放棄。
election of remedies
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P may have to choose between inconsistent remedies.
救濟選擇。
hardship
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Disproportionate hardship may bar specific relief.
困難。
Rule Sentence · the workhorse
Equitable defenses available to a defendant include laches (unreasonable delay plus prejudice), unclean hands (plaintiff's own related misconduct), equitable estoppel (defendant's detrimental reliance on plaintiff's representations), waiver, and hardship.
Sentence Anatomy · 5 roles, 5 colors
Every rule sentence breaks into five visual roles.
Actor 行為人defendant被告
Act 行為raising equitable defense援用衡平抗辯
Object 對象plaintiff's equitable claim原告衡平請求
Standard 法律標準specific defense elements具體抗辯要件
Consequence 後果equitable relief barred衡平救濟阻卻
Casebook Snapshot · a real American case
Precision Instrument Mfg. Co. v. Automotive Maintenance Machinery Co.
Holding. "He who comes into equity must come with clean hands." A plaintiff guilty of conduct directly related to the subject matter of the suit — fraud, inequitable conduct, bad faith — is barred from equitable relief.
Why it matters. Precision Instrument articulates the foundational unclean-hands principle: equity will not aid a wrongdoer.
不潔之手 — 衡平不助不法者。
Common Mistakes · what trips students
✗ laches 適用 legal claims。
✓ Laches is equitable; statute of limitations is legal.
遲延為衡平；時效為法律。
✗ unclean hands 適用所有 misconduct。
✓ Must be related to the subject of suit.
須與訴訟主題相關。
Mini IRAC · build the Application
Issue. Should the court refuse P's request for specific performance of a land sale contract when P waited 15 years to sue and the land tripled in value during the delay?
Rule. Laches bars equitable relief where the plaintiff unreasonably delayed and the delay prejudiced the defendant.
Application (model). P waited 15 years to seek specific performance; D could have sold or developed the land during that period, and the value tripled. Because laches requires unreasonable delay plus prejudice, the fact that P's 15-year delay is presumptively unreasonable and D suffered prejudice from being unable to use or sell the land during P's silence means laches likely bars relief.
Pick the right element for each blank:
g1.
g2.
Conclusion. Therefore, the court should likely deny specific performance.
MBE Check · multiple choice
P sues for an injunction to enforce a non-compete that P himself has been violating systematically. D raises unclean hands. What result?
Practice Drill · tap to build the rule
Drop the chips here in correct order:
Tap chips to add → tap chips in the target to remove: