And finally… Costanza’s law

The man had attended court on time for the original scheduled hearing, which was subsequently cancelled, but then missed the rescheduled hearing by a couple of hours because of a mix-up regarding the start time.

The sympathetic judge compared the circumstances of the case to a predicament from episode 17 of the TV show’s sixth season.

In the episode, character George Costanza is charged $75 for missing a physiotherapy appointment, but then arrives at the rescheduled appointment to find that the physiotherapist has cancelled without notice.

“I’m sorry, I require 24 hours for a cancellation,” he says.

“Now, as I see it, you owe me $75. Will that be cash or cheque?”

He later confronts the physiotherapist: “Oh, so your time is more valuable than mine?”

Judge John Little, a judge in the superior court of the Canadian province of Alberta, said the man in his case would face a “similar injustice” if the conviction stood, CTV News reports.

A fresh trial will now take place.