Who should get up to turn off the light in bed?
Both at fault
The short answer
The partner closer to the switch turns it off, unless the other one turned it on and left it. When neither is closer, it alternates.
The ruling
From the public record. Names are replaced with roles.
Small claims division
Case no.PC-2026-06031
The partner who turned on the light v. The partner nearer the switch
Filed 10/19/2026
- Plaintiff
- The partner who turned on the light
- Defendant
- The partner nearer the switch
Statement of claim
I turned on the light to find my phone charger. Then we both got into bed. The switch is three steps from his side. He said I turned it on so I turn it off. We lay there for 25 minutes with the light on.
Charge
Refusal to operate a light switch located three steps from the defendant's side of the bed
Judgment
Both at fault
Both partners at fault in the 25-minute light switch standoff
Sentence
The parties buy a lamp for each side of the bed. Until it arrives, the light is turned off by whoever reaches the bed second.
How the court usually rules on this
The court hears more light-switch cases than one would expect, and most end with both partners at fault. Distance to the switch decides the matter first, then who used the light last. Pretending to be asleep is not a defense, and the court can usually tell. A lamp on each side of the bed is a common sentence.
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