A Manhattan judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by an Upper West Side man against AMC Theaters, in which the plaintiff claimed that he fractured his tooth when he bit into an unpopped kernel of popcorn at the theater, and subsequently required $1,250 in dental work. It seemed to the naked eye like a frivolous claim, but it was taken seriously by the judge, who paused to consider the nature of popcorn in his statement:

Anyone who has ever made fresh popcorn in a microwave, in a popcorn popper, or on the stove soon learns the bitter truth that the final product is almost always marred by the presence of unpopped, partially popped or burnt kernels," he wrote. "Until such time as the same bio-engineers who brought us seedless watermelon are able to develop a new strain of popping corn where every kernel is guaranteed to pop, we will just have to accept partially popped popcorn as part and parcel of the popcorn popping process.

Wait: "Partially popped popcorn as part and parcel of the popcorn popping process?" Let's hope that guy doesn't sue the judge for twisting his tongue next.

[NYP]