A woman in Ireland who sued an insurance company for $823,000 had her injury claim dismissed after the court discovered a photo showing her participating in a Christmas tree-throwing competition.
In 2017, Kamila Grabska, 36, filed a lawsuit against RSA Insurance, citing back and neck injuries following a car accident, according to The Irish Independent.
She said the accident made her unable to work for more than five years.
Grabska reportedly stated that she was unable to carry her children, complete basic chores, or lift a large bag, and that she sometimes needed her prescription delivered to her in bed due to pain, according to the source.
However, a photo submitted to the Irish High Court in Limerick in January 2018 showed Grabska chucking a Christmas tree, according to the site.
Grabska, a resident of Ennis, was caught hurling 5-foot spruce trees during the local tree-throwing competition, as seen in this BBC article. Contestants battle to see who can throw a tree the furthest.
According to the Irish Independent, Grabska told Judge Carmel Stewart she had won the competition.
In 2018, the outlet reported that she won the women’ event. Grabska appears in the article’s lead image, wearing a yellow jacket and work gloves and hurling a tree.
According to The Irish Independent, Grabska alerted doctors just days before the tournament that she was experiencing chronic discomfort in her spine, back, and neck.
“It is a very large, natural Christmas tree, and it is being thrown by her in a very agile movement,” said the presiding judge, according to the site. “I’m afraid I cannot but conclude the claims were entirely exaggerated.”
According to The Irish Independent, the court was also shown a film of Grabska spending almost 90 minutes playing with a Dalmatian in a park.
According to The Telegraph, the film was captured in November 2023.
Her hearing was dismissed on Thursday, according to court documents.