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"One would guess that the chances are pretty slim that the work of a 17th century French poet would find its way into a Chicago courtroom in 2009."

"One would guess that the chances are pretty slim that the work of a 17th century French poet would find its way into a Chicago courtroom in 2009." But, because an appeal that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided today involves the so-called "cat's paw" theory, that's exactly what has happened.

Today's opinion, written by Circuit Judge Terence T. Evans, begins:

One would guess that the chances are pretty slim that the work of a 17th century French poet would find its way into a Chicago courtroom in 2009. But that's the situation in this case as we try to make sense out of what has been dubbed the "cat's paw" theory. The term derives from the fable "The Monkey and the Cat" penned by Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695). In the tale, a clever--and rather unscrupulous--monkey persuades an unsuspecting feline to snatch chestnuts from a fire. The cat burns her paw in the process while the monkey profits, gulping down the chestnuts one by one. As understood today, a cat's paw is a "tool" or "one used by another to accomplish his purposes." Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1976). More on this a little later.

You can access a translation of the fable at this link, and the fable apparently has inspired at least several artists (see here and here).

Full post as published by How Appealing on March 25, 2009 (boomark / email).