you know that's bad when grown ass people have to use a child's game to get alongJudge Orders 'Rock-Paper-Scissors' To Settle Dispute
POSTED: 3:17 pm EDT June 7, 2006
UPDATED: 5:49 pm EDT June 7, 2006
TAMPA, Fla. --A federaljudge, miffed at the inability of opposing attorneys to agree on even the slightest details of a lawsuit, ordered them to settle their latest dispute the old fashioned way -- with a game of "rock-paper-scissors."
In an order signed Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell scolded lawyers for their inability to agree on a location where they can take the sworn statement of a witness in an insurance lawsuit.
Presnell ordered both sides to meet at a neutral location at 4 p.m. June 30 to play a round of the hand-gesture game often used to settle childhood disputes. If they can't agree on the neutral location, they'll play on the steps of the federal courthouse.
The winner gets to choose the location for the witness statement.
"We're going to have to do it," said David Pettinato, lead attorney for the plaintiff, Avista Management. "I guess I'd better bone up on rock-paper-scissors rules."
If the loser disputes the game's outcome, that lawyer can appeal to the judge at a hearing on July 7.
Rock-paper-scissors has become serious competitive business in recent years, with regional tournaments determining the players in a world championship.
Last year officials of the auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's engaged in a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would get to sell a $17.8 million collection of art offered by a Japanese electronics company. Christie's won.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.