Calif. Court Order: 'Piecemeal' Is Not a Verb
While sorting out a dispute between the city of Mission Viejo, Calif., and a local school district over the district’s repurposing of O’Neill Elementary School, Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Bauer took the time to look into a word counsel used repeatedly.
“The court’s search of the etymology of the word ‘piecemeal’ has revealed that there are two characters in Marvel Comics that bear the name Piecemeal, including one who is an adversay of the Incredible Hulk,” Bauer write in the minute order (PDF provided by Above the Law). “The word can also be used as an adjective or an adverb. But nowhere has the court found that this word is properly used as a verb. Yet counsel here have argued at length about whether or not the district improperly ‘piecemealed’ the closure and reuse of O’Neill. Perhaps this word will one day achieve that status, and counsel can take pride at being midwives for that birth, but the court will, for now, adhere to more traditional terms.”
Above the Law noted the order. “Practitioner Tip: Do not roll into a Orange County Superior Court with made up words,” Elie Mystal wrote ATL. ” ‘Cause they will cut you down for that in the O.C.”
