It could be called a tale of two judges. Or, a battle of law versus equity.

The Appellate Court case of Hartford v. McKeever resulted in markedly different results in the trial and appeals court, highlighting the two main strains of the Anglo-American legal process. It contrasts the rigid “black letter” law, and its kinder, gentler counterpart — the principles of equity, which arose 500 years ago as an antidote to the harsh rigidity of the law courts.