This article examines a specific form of fraud and conflict with the judiciary in the context of work: the misappropriation of small quantities of silk (piquage d’once), often taken from offcuts from unwinding and weaving, in Lyon’s silk industry (Grande Fabrique) during the eighteenth century. As a widespread offence committed by both male and female workers, piquage d’once offers an excellent terrain for analysing the interplay of gender, fraud and justice. Drawing on 277 cases, this study explores the relationship between the courts and the men and women accused of piquage d’once. The analysis of the conflicts between piqueurs and piqueuses d’once and the justice system sheds light on the forms of domination at play within the judicial arena, the ability of the protagonists to mobilise resources when confronted with the institution, as well as the mechanisms of negotiation, resistance or accommodation that took place at the city court (Consulat). However, gender was, as the study illustrates, only one factor among many others in the complex mechanisms of power and domination within the Grande Fabrique.