— Unreported Opinion —
________________________________________________________________________
9
Regarding Rents” on August 12, 2019. The Court granted Mirabile’s motion and ordered
Leiter to pay to Mirabile the rents collected since 2015 and that the balance of the escrow
account be released to him, totaling $159,797.66.
Additional facts shall be added where they are necessary to the issues in this appeal.
DISCUSSION
I. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in declining to apply the doctrine of
unclean hands when awarding Mirabile the balance of the rent escrow account
and the rents collected by Leiter since 2015.
The doctrine of unclean hands is intended to prevent a party who is “guilty of
inequitable conduct, relating to the matter in which relief is sought, from receiving
equitable relief.” Fischer Org., Inc. v. Landry’s Seafood Rests., Inc., 143 Md. App. 65, 79
(2002) (citing Hlista v. Altevogt, 239 Md. 43, 48 (1965)). Although the doctrine is
traditionally only applied in equity, it has been expanded to apply to cases at law as well.
Mona v. Mona Elec. Grp., Inc., 176 Md. App. 672, 713 (2007). Because “‘the doctrine is
not one of absolutes,’ we disturb a trial court’s decision to invoke the doctrine[, or not,]
only when the court abuses its discretion.” Hicks v. Gilbert, 135 Md. App. 394, 401 (2000)
(quoting Manown v. Adams, 89 Md. App. 503, 511 (1991)).
The doctrine of unclean hands requires the satisfaction of two prongs to apply to bar
recovery. See Turner v. Turner, 147 Md. App. 350, 419–20 (2002). First, the party seeking
relief must be guilty of unlawful, fraudulent, illegal, or inequitable conduct. Wells Fargo
Home Mortg., Inc. v. Neal, 398 Md. 705, 729–30 (2007); Hicks, supra, 135 Md. App. at
400. Second, the conduct “must relate to the matter with relation to which the party seeks