California’s supreme court has ruled that employees can now sue for not being sexually harassed in the workplace. Well, if ever there was truth behind the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” parable, this is it. The ruling came after two officers at a women’s prison claimed their boss had carried on affairs with three other employees, but had never put word on them. Edna Miller and Frances Mackey said the fact that the boss had overlooked them when it came to the bedroom meant they also missed out on opportunities for promotion.

Chief justice Ronald George justified his ruling by saying it was not in defence of sex in the workplace but was aimed at preventing a work environment where women feel like “sexual playthings” and assume they can’t get ahead without putting out. Barbara Lawless, who represented the plaintiffs, said the ruling was a triumph for men and women. “If you have to sleep with the boss to get ahead, men have causes of action too,” she said.

Was it really worth the effort?

Thieves dressed as police officers in Russia held up three trucks laden with toilet paper and made off with thousands of rolls. The trucks were being driven from St Petersburg to Moscow when the thieves waved them down. The drivers stepped out to show their identification papers but were bundled into a waiting car and driven into a forest while other members of the gang stole the cargo.

Apparently the theft was the latest in a spate of attacks involving robbers posing as police in order to steal trucks carrying sausages, pork and coffee. We at Folklaw can understand coffee, but is toilet paper really worth the risk?

Construction knickers

A 23-year-old German builder has confessed to stealing ladies’ underpants from his neighbours washing lines. After his arrest, the young buck told police he liked to wear the women’s undergarments to work, but was too embarrassed to buy them for himself. He was caught when 53-year-old Ingrid Volkmann had her husband set up a motion sensor under her clothesline. Folklaw can hardly blame the poor lad. Even construction workers need a bit of luxury in their day, and what could be nicer than a pair of satin underdaks?

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Feisty pensioners

A court case of some sort is sure to result from this. Two Romanian pensioners have been treated for injuries after they fought over a television remote control in the retirement village where they live. Gheorghe Botezatu, 85, and Victor Gavrilas, 73, have always been against each other, according to Dr Lidia Mihailovii, head of the home. She told Monitorul de Neamt newspaper that they often argue over the television, but this time they started beating each other with their walking sticks.

As a result, Gavrilas required surgery on his broken nose and Botezatu has been warned that he could be sent home as he has repeatedly caused trouble. He has also been caught smuggling alcohol into the residence and trying to have sex with the female residents.

Not the sharpest tool

A Chicago man has been jailed after he stole a marked police car in order to make it to work on time. The 38-year-old was caught after a member of the public flagged him down for help. CBS reported that the man saw the squad car outside a restaurant — the policeman had left the keys in the car while he popped inside for a bite. The man decided that the vehicle would provide as good a way as any to get to the bakery where he worked. Unfortunately, his plan backfired and he ended up in a cell instead of icing donuts.

I do, but do you do?

An Indian woman accidentally married her groom’s brother when the priest mixed up the names at a recent ceremony. During the exchange of vows, the priest said Mehraj instead of Siraj and the bride, who didn’t notice the mistake, gave her consent. Press Trust of India said the mistake, which occurred at a Muslim wedding in Udaiya, Uttar Pradesh, was not realised until the groom’s family saw the marriage certificate the following day.

The bride was sent home to her parents and is now waiting on the decision as to whether she is married to her original groom or his brother. Elders of both families have approached authorities at the Islamic seminary of Deoband for a ruling.

Thieves should be thrifty

Two men who robbed a bank in Chile a year ago have just been arrested in San Luiz, Argentina, where they were working as construction workers. It was noticed by locals that Alejandro Pincheiras and Jorge Contreras were buying large amounts of expensive goods and paying for their purchases in cash. A police spokesperson said the locals had “never seen such rich construction workers in their lives”. A short investigation revealed that the men were wanted in Chile for stealing five million dollars.