Santa has sued the Danish Air Force — and won:
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Santa Claus will receive $5,000 in compensation from the Danish air force after an F-16 fighter jet frightened one of his reindeers to death.
Professional Danish Santa Olavi Niikanoff complained to the air force after a reindeer died with fright when a jet roared over the field where his animals were grazing, air force spokesman Captain Morten Jensen told Reuters.
“We acknowledge it was our fault and we have to pay compensation,” Jensen said, adding that the air force regularly paid out sums of money to compensate for animals that die of fright when planes boom overhead.
The government lost due to a clause.
THIS JUST IN: Warning to Billy Jones of New Haven, Connecticut. Last Christmas you left some hot cocoa out for Santa. It spilled on him, giving him a blister. You will be served with papers soon.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.