2011 in court: nude hiking, dental disaster, curled-up cat

Of the more than 7,000 cases that reached the country's highest court in 2011, some were stranger than others, newspaper Le Matin reports.

For instance, a Basel-based dentist surprised a young patient by accidentally removing four molars removed instead of four wisdom teeth. The court issued him with a 50,000-franc ($53,500) suspended fine.

In a case with a feline dimension, the Federal Court upheld a 300-franc fine for a man who drove with his cat curled up on the dashboard. It also ordered him to pay 2,000 francs in court costs. 

In another unusual hearing, the court set a fine of 40 francs for the owner of a Zurich bar who played music too loud during the Street Parade, a techno music festival that can be heard from a distance of several hundred metres.

Deaf to the arguments of the defendant, the judges noted that noise restrictions must be respected even during the parade. The landlord was ordered to pay a fine of more than 2,000 francs.

2011 was also the year when Switzerland’s highest court had to deal with its first case involving naked hikers. Agreeing that cantons could ban the practice if they wished, the court approved a 100-franc fine for a nudist who was seen walking near a barbecue area in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden.