The Ohio Supreme Court Has A Wild Interpretation Of What A 'Boneless Wing' Is

The world can be a little crazy these days. Sometimes it feels like up can be down, black can be white, nothing makes sense.

One thing that I thought was non-negotiable was what constituted a "boneless wing," but now the Ohio Supreme Court even has me questioning that after a recent ruling.

Now, I thought we were all on the same page on this front: a boneless wing is just a chicken nugget tossed in some sauce. Boom, boneless wing.

Not so, says the highest court in the State of Ohio.

In a split 4-3 decision, the court ruled that we should not expect that a boneless wing is, in fact, boneless.

But… but… the name.

These are boneless wings, but if you're in Ohio, don't just assume that they're boneless. (Getty Images)

This came to the court's attention after diner Michael Berkheimer found himself getting a batch of boneless wings — the Associated Press felt compelled to mention that these were garlic parm wings; not sure that that matters — with a bone in it. Berkheimer only found out this was the case several days later after developing a fever and not being able to keep food down.

So, once he learned that at least one of his boneless wings was actually boned, Berkheimer filed a lawsuit against the restaurant, Wings on Brookwood, as well as the company that supplied the restaurant and the farm that the chicken came from.

I'd have thought this would be a slam dunk for Berkheimer, but the case got all the way through the state court system, with lower courts ruling against him.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruling argues that "boneless wings" refers to a cooking style, therefore, Berkheimer should have been on bone watch, seeing as it is common knowledge that chickens have bones.

I mean… it's common knowledge that they have beaks too, but if one wound up in my saucy nuggs, I'd be lawyering up too.

It'll be interesting to see if this interpretation of wing law is upheld across the country or if other states will see it differently.