The presence or absence of a single comma has cost companies millions in lawsuits
Some trivia is so bizarre it forces you to rethink your entire understanding of the world. Check out the fact below, see how others reacted, and scroll down to dive into the verified science and history behind it.
The Oxford (serial) comma is the comma placed before 'and' in a list. In 2017, Maine dairy drivers won a $5 million lawsuit against their employer because a state overtime law listed exemptions without an Oxford comma, making the law's meaning genuinely ambiguous. The sentence 'packing for shipment or distribution' — without a comma — could be read as one activity or two, and because workers couldn't distribute without packing, they argued they qualified for overtime. The comma's absence cost the company millions.
Grammar arguments feel like pedantic disputes with no real consequences. Discovering that a single punctuation mark has triggered seven-figure legal settlements makes grammatical precision feel suddenly and concretely important.
The Science Behind It
The Oxford (serial) comma is the comma placed before 'and' in a list. In 2017, Maine dairy drivers won a $5 million lawsuit against their employer because a state overtime law listed exemptions without an Oxford comma, making the law's meaning genuinely ambiguous. The sentence 'packing for shipment or distribution' — without a comma — could be read as one activity or two, and because workers couldn't distribute without packing, they argued they qualified for overtime. The comma's absence cost the company millions.
Why Your Brain Finds This Hard to Believe
Sources & Verification
OddlyHuman Editors
VerifiedWritten and fact-checked by the OddlyHuman Behavioral Science Team. We verify all psychological, sociological, and historical claims against peer-reviewed journals, primary sources, and established encyclopedias to bring you accurate insights.
Read our Editorial Guidelines →“The missing Oxford comma cost a Maine company $5 million in a 2017 lawsuit. Ambiguity in overtime rules — caused by one missing comma — meant dairy workers were owed years of back pay. , #OddlyHuman”