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Legend: A couple copulating in a parked car are rammed from behind, causing ejaculation and a baby nine months later.
Example: [Associated Press, 1990]
Origins: Because the above story comes off the Associated Press newswire, one might be tempted to believe it. A
closer examination of the tale reveals a surprising lack of detail, often a telling sign that the reader had best
beware. Neither the man or the woman doing the suing is named, nor is the man whose car rammed them. Indeed, the article isn't even a report about an accident or about a lawsuit filed over a fender-bender; the details supposedly come from an unnamed insurance company that decided all on its own to publicize the incident as a way of illustrating the absurdity of some of the claims it handles.
Even so, this story would still remain in the realm of the believable, were it not for its turning up in only slightly altered form in other venues. In his Rationale of the Dirty Joke, Legman traces a version back as far as 1907. A 1952 version gathered in New York gives the details of a joke about a French lawyer's supposedly defending his countrymen against the claim that all French law cases are about sex. In refutation of the charge, the lawyer relates a tale about a client who was amorously entangled with a virgin. Lovemaking between them was limited, with the fellow promising to stop before he breached the barrier. While engaged in this merry pursuit, the couple was surprised by the girl's mother, who reacted in anger,
Did the 1990 pranging in Naples' "love park" happen? It's hard to say with absolute certainty that it didn't, but a couple of signs indicate that would be the direction to go. First, there are those similiarities to an existing joke: outside event causes copulating man to ejaculate, he sues person who precipitated outside event for costs arising from the conception. Second, although the Associated Press article was picked up by a number of U.S. newspapers, no separate information about either the accident or the lawsuit made it into the news at the time either of those events supposedly happened. Lastly, no followup to the story surfaced. We never found out how the lawsuit turned out, when the baby was born, or even how the wedding went. It's very hard to believe that no one would run a story about the couple on their wedding day, given the circumstances behind how they came to the altar. Consider it a tale too good to be true, but dying to be told anyway. Barbara "family sedan" Mikkelson Last updated: 25 July 2007 Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2010 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson. This material may not be reproduced without permission. snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com. Sources:
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closer examination of the tale reveals a surprising lack of detail, often a telling sign that the reader had best
beware. Neither the man or the woman doing the suing is named, nor is the man whose car rammed them. Indeed, the article isn't even a report about an accident or about a lawsuit filed over a fender-bender; the details supposedly come from an unnamed insurance company that decided all on its own to publicize the incident as a way of illustrating the absurdity of some of the claims it handles.
Sources: