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A comment on The district court ruled that brown recluse spiders are insects [pdf].

Re:The district court ruled that brown recluse spiders are i... by paultopia on Sunday May 17, 2020 @01:34PM (#23213567)
If there's a problem with this, it isn't in the use of a common meaning for a term rather than the technical meaning. It's our worry that if the shoe were on the other foot---if it were a policy that covered insect damage, and an insurance company were trying to wriggle out of paying---that the court would gleefully say "ah-ha! spiders aren't insects! insurance company doesn't have to pay!"
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Re:The district court ruled that brown recluse spiders are i... by derekp7 on Sunday May 17, 2020 @01:51PM (#23213712)
That reminds me of an episode of the Jim Henson show "Dinosaurs". Earl's house got hit by a rock that fell from space. Well, the insurance didn't pay -- he had "meteor" insurance, but what hit is house was a "meteorite". They said if his house was floating in space, then he would be covered. (Technically, he still wouldn't be covered, because in space it would be a meteoroid).
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Re:The district court ruled that brown recluse spiders are i... by a1369209993 on Sunday May 17, 2020 @04:04PM (#23214912)
Isn't it technically not a meteorite until it hits the ground? Which it could only do after destroying his house, because the house is between it and the ground?
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Re:The district court ruled that brown recluse spiders are i... by happytoexplain on Sunday May 17, 2020 @05:45PM (#23215789)
As I understand it, a significant part of the legal process has to do with interpreting language, meaning, and the spirit of agreements, rather than enforcing technical definitions.
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