Bacon Unwrapped’s Legal Analyst (as in my college roommate, who shall remain anonymous, is a law clerk and was looking for a reason to procrastinate at work today) did some research of instances where the word “bacon” has appeared in case law. She found a few entertaining examples. Enjoy!
In a case about sexual harassment of a Canadian citizen:
“Use of vulgar, sexist language at the Sheriff’s Office was a daily occurrence. During her employment, men in the office called Wright a ‘big-breasted Canadian secretary,’ a ‘dizzy bitch,’ and ‘Canadian bacon.’ Wright was offended and embarrassed by this name calling. Sims admits to this name calling and admits he did it in front of others. On one occasion, Sims referred to Wright as ‘Canadian bacon’ at a Peace Officer’s Association meeting, and all in attendance heard the comment.” Wright v. Rolette County, 417 F.3d 879, 882 (8th Cir. 2005)
In a case dealing with anti-solicitation laws:
“The term ‘spam’ derives from a 1970 Monty Python Flying Circus sketch in which a waitress recites a menu containing ‘egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam . . . .’ (citing Roger Allen Ford, Comment, Preemption of State Spam Laws by the Federal CAN-SPAM ACT, 72 U. CHI. L. REV. 355, 355 n.1 (2005)).
White Buffalo Ventures, LLC v. Univ. of Texas, 420 F.3d 366, 368 n.1 (5th Cir. 2005)
In a breach of contract case where the parties were disputing the meaning of their Weaned Pig Purchase Agreement:
“Always remember the distinction between contribution and commitment. Take the matter of bacon and eggs. The chicken makes a contribution. The pig makes a commitment.” (citing John Mack Carter) Pieper, Inc. v. Land O’Lakes Farmland Feed, LLC, 390 F.3d 1062, 1065 n.2 (8th Cir. 2004)
In a case about excessive police force, someone testified about his observations on seeing the plaintiff shocked with a taser gun:
“I kept watching him right there real close. We had the IV in him. I was over at my counter, and when I turned around — well, my counter was something like this, and he was — he was more like about where that wall is, right there, to that area where I’m at. And all of a sudden, I heard something sizzling like bacon. They call it like bacon. As a matter of fact, I said that.”
McBride v. Clark, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9143, at *26 (W.D. Mo., Mar. 8 2006)