COURT OF EQUITY

a court having jurisdiction in cases where an adequate and complete remedy cannot be had at law. Courts of equity in common law developed their own principles and unique remedies (eg, injunction, specific performance). Actions were brought either equitably in chancery or legally at law. Today, courts that are guided primarily by equitable doctrine are still said to be courts of equity. Thus, a bankruptcy court is a court of equity. Courts of equity, which arose independent of courts of law in England, have merged with the latter in most jurisdictions of the United States.



See equity. Source: Barron's Dictionary of Legal Terms, Steven H. Gifis, 5th Edition; © 2016