Yes, Virginia, a court can take judicial notice of Santa Claus

A recent Southern District of New York opinion confirmed that a court can take judicial notice of Santa Claus. In a copyright suit over a screenplay written by actress Emma Thompson, the court cited a previous court’s judicial notice that “’Santa Claus is a legendary Christmas figure’ based on ‘Sint Nikolaas.’” The court then took judicial notice of facts about nineteenth-century art critic John Ruskin and held that Thompson could proceed with her film about Ruskin’s involvement in a love triangle. The case, which is not yet officially published, is Effie Film, LLC v. Pomerance.

(jdf)