Skinny Jeans Can Harm Testes; The Law of Comparative Fault

Sacrificing health for fashion isn’t exactly a new trend. After all, women have been wearing high heels since ancient Egypt. However, new research is showing that a more recent fashion trend could endanger that which men hold most dearly: their testicles.

There have been previous reports detailing the dangers of skinny jeans with regard to leg numbness and nerve damage. Now, the Telegraph is citing medical experts that are finding that skinny jeans pose an additional danger to male wearers: the twisted testicle.


Twisted testicles occur when tight trousers prevent the spermatic cord from moving freely, meaning it twists and leads to testicular torsion which cuts off the blood supply requiring immediate surgery to prevent a gangrenous testicle.

Where are my sweatpants again?

In all seriousness, is it all that shocking that wearing incredibly tight, thick material around the thighs and genitals is a bad idea? Common sense alone should tell us that.

And common sense, believe it or not, does play into the law. The law holds everyone to the standard of the reasonable person. Would the reasonable person restrict their reproductive organs in such an uncomfortable way in the name of fashion?

Let’s take it one step further. Could someone sue a jean manufacturer if he lost his left testicle to gangrene due to overly tight pants?

Possibly. If a manufacturer continues to sell a dangerous product after the dangers are known, there’s a strong possibility of a lawsuit there. This is especially true when there is a reasonable alternative design available, such as the Don Draper look.

However, even if the plaintiff were to get his lawsuit in front of a jury, Illinois law requires that the plaintiff’s damages be reduced by whatever percentage of fault is his own. In other words, the idiot in skinny jeans is held somewhat responsible for his own testicular torsion. And if a jury thinks that the wearer is more than 50 percent at fault, the manufacturer is completely off the hook.

So remember, skinny jeans, while fashionable, carry the risk of gangrenous testicles and nerve damage in the wearer’s thighs. And while a lawsuit might be theoretically possible, testicular torsion is not the best way to get a million dollar judgment.

Related Resources:



Consult a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)

Skinny jeans may lead to ‘twisted testicles’ and other painful health problems for style-conscious men (New York Daily News)

Comparative Negligence (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)

Riding a Bicycle Kills Your Sex Life? (FindLaw’s New York Personal Injury Law Blog)


The Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

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