An appeals court tossed an Ohio woman's parking citation because the grammar in a village law was unclear.
The Associated Press reports that Andrea Cammelleri received a parking citation for leaving her pickup truck parked in an area for longer than 24 hours.
According to a law in the village of West Jefferson, certain types of vehicles cannot be parked longer than 24 hours, including "any motor vehicle camper, trailer, farm implement and/or non-motorized vehicle." That's "motor vehicle camper" instead of "motor vehicle, camper."
Cammerelli argued that her truck does not fit the description because of the missing comma between "vehicle" and "camper."
Though the village claims that in context, the meaning of the law is clear enough, Judge Robert Hendrickson of the 12th Ohio District Court of Appeals sided with Cammerelli, noting that the village should amend the issue.
In short: Never underestimate the power of a properly used comma.