Equity Will Not Suffer

The legal maxim 'Equity Will Not Suffer' asserts that equity will not permit any action or condition that causes injustice or unfairness. It emphasizes that equitable principles aim to prevent harm and promote fairness in legal remedies.

This maxim originates from the equitable principles established in the medieval English courts, designed to provide remedies where common law was inadequate. It reflects the foundational belief that equity exists to address and mitigate injustices.

In modern law, this maxim is often invoked in cases involving equitable remedies such as injunctions, specific performance, or equitable estoppel, where strict legal rules might lead to unfair outcomes. Judges routinely apply this principle to ensure that legal decisions do not produce unjust results.

• A court may grant an injunction to prevent a party from acting in a way that would cause irreparable harm to another, thereby ensuring fairness.
• In contract disputes, courts may impose equitable remedies to ensure that a party is not unjustly enriched at the expense of another.

• Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948)