<p>Italy's supreme court has ruled that it is a criminal offence to tell a man he has "no balls" because it hurts male pride.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a case between two cousins, brought to the court by a lawyer named Vittorio against his cousin Alberto, the apex court said the insult that a man has "no balls" is a crime punishable with a fine, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />The phrase was uttered during a heated courtroom exchange in the southern Italian city of Potenza. "Apart from the vulgarity of the term used, the expression definitely also has an injurious quality," said Judge Maurizio Fumo.<br /><br />"It refers not only to the target's lack of virility, but also to his weakness of character, lack of determination, competence and coherence - virtues that, rightly or wrongly, are still identified as pertaining to the male gender," he said.<br /><br />The court also said that uttering the insult at the workplace with third parties present could also damage one's reputation.<br /></p>
<p>Italy's supreme court has ruled that it is a criminal offence to tell a man he has "no balls" because it hurts male pride.<br /><br /></p>.<p>In a case between two cousins, brought to the court by a lawyer named Vittorio against his cousin Alberto, the apex court said the insult that a man has "no balls" is a crime punishable with a fine, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />The phrase was uttered during a heated courtroom exchange in the southern Italian city of Potenza. "Apart from the vulgarity of the term used, the expression definitely also has an injurious quality," said Judge Maurizio Fumo.<br /><br />"It refers not only to the target's lack of virility, but also to his weakness of character, lack of determination, competence and coherence - virtues that, rightly or wrongly, are still identified as pertaining to the male gender," he said.<br /><br />The court also said that uttering the insult at the workplace with third parties present could also damage one's reputation.<br /></p>