Disney v. DeSantis

Disney v. DeSantis
CourtUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Full case name Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Inc. v. Ronald D. DeSantis, Meredith Ivey, Martin Garcia, Michael Sasso, Brian Aungst, Jr., Ron Peri, Bridget Ziegler, and John Classe
DecidedJanuary 31, 2024
Docket nos.4:23-cv-00163
Court membership
Judge sittingAllen C. Winsor[1][2]

Disney v. DeSantis was a lawsuit brought against Florida governor Ron DeSantis by the Parks, Experiences and Products division of The Walt Disney Company in 2023 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. The plaintiff claims that DeSantis, with Florida Department of Economic Opportunity acting secretary Meredith Ivey and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board, violated the company's First Amendment rights by using government power to exact political retaliation.

The dispute began when Disney officials expressed disapproval for the proposed Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which has been labeled by reporters, protesters, and counterprotesters as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. After DeSantis responded angrily, the Florida State Legislature repealed the Reedy Creek Improvement Act that had established a special governance and taxing district around Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Critics of Disney argue that the company had been given too much self-governing power. Critics of DeSantis argue that he made Florida's government harmful to doing business with gay people, undermined a business's right to free speech, and is hurting one of the state's largest employers and taxpayers. Among his critics were other Republican leaders, including then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and then-fellow presidential candidates Donald Trump and Nikki Haley.

A federal judge ruled in favor of DeSantis on January 31, 2024. A spokesperson for Disney said the company was undeterred by the ruling and intended to press forward with their case. The next day, Disney filed an appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.[3][4] On March 27, 2024, Disney settled its pending state court lawsuits with DeSantis. Per the agreement, Disney put the appeal of their federal lawsuit on hold while negotiations regarding a new development agreement with Florida play out. However, no alterations to Disney's appeal of the federal lawsuit were made.[5][6][7] The settlement came a day after DeSantis replaced two Disney critics on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District with two Disney supporters[8][9] and two weeks after The Parental Rights in Education Act was largely overturned by a court.[10][11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Walker Recusal-NYTimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Walker Recusal-The Hill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Maddus, Gene (January 31, 2024). "Disney Loses First Amendment Fight With Ron DeSantis in Federal Court". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Wile, Rob (February 1, 2024). "Disney files appeal after federal judge dismissed its lawsuit against DeSantis". NBC News. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "Disney Succumbs to Ron DeSantis in Fight Over Florida Tax District". The Wall Street Journal. March 27, 2024.
  6. ^ Schneider, Mike (March 27, 2024). "Settlement reached in lawsuit between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' allies". AP News. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "DeSantis Board Reaches Historic Agreement With Disney World, Lawsuit Tossed Out". March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Did Disney or DeSantis win their big fight? Yes". Tampa Bay Times. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Settlement reached in lawsuit between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' allies". ABC News. March 27, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Court overturns large part of Florida's so-called 'don't say gay' law". NPR. March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "Florida settles lawsuit over LGBT education bill". BBC. March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.