The court date for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District v. Disney lawsuit has been set. The lawsuit, which was filed in the 9th Judicial Circuit Orange County, was filed as a countersuit after Disney sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Florida leaders, including the board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. According to court documents filed earlier this week, a hearing for the case will be held on July 14, 2023, at 2:00 PM.
The lawsuit, which was filed on May 1, 2023, states that “in an effort to stymie Florida’s elected representatives, Disney covertly cobbled together a series of eleventh-hour deals with its soon-to-be-replaced puppet government.”
The suit continues by saying, “Disney hoped to tie the hands of the new, independent Board and to preserve Disney’s special status as its own government in the District for at least the next thirty years. These agreements reek of a backroom deal—drafted by Disney with the acquiescence of a lawyer who represented both Disney and the District, set for hearing without proper notice, and hustled through a compliant Disney-controlled Board that Disney knew would not dwell long on the issue. But perhaps out of haste or arrogance, Disney’s deals violate basic principles of Florida constitutional, statutory, and common law. As a result, they are null and void—not even worth the paper they were printed on.”
The lawsuit continues a feud between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and aligned parties that is focused primarily on the former Reedy Creek Improvement District. It has been the subject of much debate since it became a target after Disney came out against the “Parental Rights in Education” legislation, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Since then, Governor DeSantis has been going after what he calls “woke Disney.” Disney filed its lawsuit first saying that the action of Governor DeSantis violate its First Amendment and other constitutional rights. Disney says that Governor DeSantis is retaliating against the company for speaking out against the legislation.
The first lawsuit that was filed by Disney recently received a new judge, who then approved a pre-trial timeline for the lawsuit. This will give up until August for both sides to file any pre-trial briefs they may want to submit. Meanwhile, Governor DeSantis has joined the race for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. On the campaign trail, he continues to take swipes at Disney.
This lawsuit will most likely not be the end of this dispute, especially with the Federal lawsuit waiting in the wings. Daps Magic will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available!
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