Oxford Comma Dispute Is Settled as Maine Drivers Get $5 Million
- 6 years ago
Oxford Comma Dispute Is Settled as Maine Drivers Get $5 Million
What followed the last comma in the first sentence was the crux of the matter: “packing for shipment or distribution of.” The court ruled
that it was not clear whether the law exempted the distribution of the three categories that followed, or if it exempted packing for the shipment or distribution of them.
Maine law requires time-and-a-half pay for each hour worked after 40 hours, but it carved out exemptions for:
The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:
(1) Agricultural produce;
(2) Meat and fish products; and
(3) Perishable foods.
Ending a case that electrified punctuation pedants, grammar goons and comma connoisseurs, Oakhurst Dairy settled an overtime dispute with its drivers
that hinged entirely on the lack of an Oxford comma in state law.
What followed the last comma in the first sentence was the crux of the matter: “packing for shipment or distribution of.” The court ruled
that it was not clear whether the law exempted the distribution of the three categories that followed, or if it exempted packing for the shipment or distribution of them.
Maine law requires time-and-a-half pay for each hour worked after 40 hours, but it carved out exemptions for:
The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:
(1) Agricultural produce;
(2) Meat and fish products; and
(3) Perishable foods.
Ending a case that electrified punctuation pedants, grammar goons and comma connoisseurs, Oakhurst Dairy settled an overtime dispute with its drivers
that hinged entirely on the lack of an Oxford comma in state law.