[jQuery] validation rules("remove") doesn't seem to work

[kathb4]

I am trying to use the validation plugin to validate a set of
checkboxes which are created by my CMS (drupal) so are not changeable
- and which look like this:

<code>
<div class="form-item" id="edit-pollutants-storage-tanks-wrapper">
  <label class="option"><input type="checkbox" name="pollutants
[tanks]" id="edit-pollutants-storage-tanks" value="tanks"
class="form-checkbox" /> a. Tanks (Oil, fuel chemicals)</label>
</div>
<div class="form-item" id="edit-pollutants-rubbish-wrapper">
   <label class="option"><input type="checkbox" name="pollutants
[rubbish]" id="edit-pollutants-rubbish" value="rubbish"   class="form-
checkbox" /> b. Rubbish</label>
</div>...
 </code>

I want the user to select at least one of the pollutant checkboxes.
 As you can see the name is in the format pollutants[xxxx].

I don't want to have to validate each option, cause I want them only
to have to choose one of the pollutants. I tried "pollutans[]" but
that didn't work.

So now I'm trying to do it by doing a combination of things
1. putting a required on the first one if count of checkboxes.size()==
0
2. looking for an onclick to remove the rule if any of the checkboxes
are then checked.

But the remove rule is not working.

<code>
        $("inp...@name^='pollutants']").change(function(){
           $("inp...@name^='pollutants']").rules("remove");
        });

      $("#myForm").validate({
        rules: {
          "pollutants[tanks]":       "required"
          }
      });
</code>

Any suggestions? I am rather frustrated.