private static boolean equalsHandlesNulls(LocalItem a,LocalItem b){
  return (a == b) || ((a != null) && a.equals(b));
}

private static boolean equalsHandlesNulls ( LocalItem a , LocalItem b ) { return ( a == b ) || ( ( a != null ) && a . equals ( b ) ) ; }
returns true if a and b are equal , whether or not either of them are null .
