If you’ve been following along with The Walt Disney Company news at all for the past year or so, then you’ve probably heard about the ongoing battle between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Reedy Creek
Disney and DeSantis’s Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board have been fighting for control over Disney’s special tax district. DeSantis stripped Disney of rights over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District after Disney publicly opposed the governor’s decision to pass the Parental Rights in Education Act. Disney then claimed that this was a violation of federal rights, arguing that there had been a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power” against Disney to punish them for their political views. Since then, DeSantis filed a lawsuit against Disney to attempt to undo agreements made between Disney and the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. From there, things get pretty complicated.
Disney then subpoenaed internal communications records from DeSantis’s office, and requested that these items be delivered no later than October 27th, 2023. Disney has claimed that DeSantis’s office never submitted the records, and filed a lawsuit because of that. Then, Disney filed a separate lawsuit, saying that DeSantis violated Florida’s public record law “by failing to properly preserve documents and turn them over in a timely manner, opening another front in an ongoing legal feud.”
©Governor Ron DeSantis Website
Now, per the Orlando Sentinel, DeSantis and his Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board agreed on January 25th to a June 24th trial date for Disney’s public record lawsuit against them. Here’s what the trial timeline will look like:
- February 23: Amended pleadings and motions
- April 12: Completion of facts and expert discovery
- March 1: Written discovery
- Mid-to-late March: Mediation (if necessary or agreed to)
- June 17: Pre-trail meeting
- June 24: Trial begins
Disney vs. DeSantis
We have a feeling that this is by no means a step toward the end of the battle, as this is still a separate lawsuit than the ongoing issues between the two parties. Nonetheless, we’ll be sure to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along for more.
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What do you think of the agreement to go to trial? Let us know in the comments.
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Glad to see that Darth Iger has followed through on his promises to quiet things down on the political dispute front. Regardless how this turns out legally, Disney will never have the moral high ground. I am still shocked that Walt’s company, the former paragon of children’s and family entertainment, thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to teach 5 and 6 year olds about gender identity and sexual orientation. My, we have really fallen.
Do you have information on the original lawsuit Disney filed against DeSantis? When is that going to trial?
Disney is breaking out any and every legal tool in the book. In my opinion, Disney should be treated just like any other vacation destination, theme park etc, in the state of Florida.
The presidential campaign won’t be the only defeat DeSantis faces. The little state dictator stepped way out of line with RCID and did nothing other than display junior high behavior while creating a mess and wasting tax-payer money.
Wow, DeSantis just doesn’t now when to quit….wait a minute…he did. I guess Florida is pretty much OK with removing books from schools and libraries. It’s really not a new tactic in modern history. It would seem that repressing education is what got Flordia where it is today.
Don
Making sure that books in schools are age appropriate is not repressing education it’s displaying responsible and strong leadership. I’m sure we can agree to disagree.
Regards,
Barry
Barry is 100% correct.
Barry,
Thank you, I agree…to disagree of course. 🙂