Judge Strikes Down a New Motion in the Disney vs. DeSantis Board Lawsuit
We have breaking news on the Disney legal front. The judge just made a huge decision in the lawsuit.
Disney vs. DeSantis
By now you may have heard of the ongoing legal drama between The Walt Disney Company and Ron DeSantis and his newly appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD). The turmoil began when former CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education Law passed in Florida in 2022.
Shortly after this move, Florida's state Republicans passed a bill to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement Act of 1967 that allowed Disney to function as its own governing body in the two cities and land within Orange and Osceola counties. After the bill passed, the Reedy Creek Improvement District officially dissolved, giving the state of Florida power over Disney World.
Additionally, DeSantis appointed the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) as its governing board. This action resulted in big operational changes to the Walt Disney World resort. And it also led to two lawsuits.
The Two Lawsuits
The first of the two lawsuits is a federal case Disney brought against DeSantis. Current CEO Bob Iger maintains that DeSantis is punishing the Walt Disney Company for practicing free speech in its reaction to the Parental Rights in Education Law. In fact, in April, Daniel M. Petrocelli, a high-powered Los Angeles litigator, filed complaints on Disney's behalf in federal court against Governor DeSantis. DeSantis, unsurprisingly, motioned for dismissal. Disney has since responded, and you can read about it here.
However, there is also a state-level lawsuit filed by the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) against Disney to nullify agreements between the former Reedy Creek Tourism District and Disney. The agreement essentially transferred power from the Reedy Creek Tourism District to Disney prior to the district being dissolved.
DeSantis himself is NOT a party in this other lawsuit. This is something entirely different. Disney, unsurprisingly, made a motion of its own for dismissal.
On July 14, 2023, Judge Margaret H Schreiber heard arguments from representatives for both Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) during an hour-long hearing pertaining to the motion for dismissal of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District lawsuit against Disney. Essentially, Disney is arguing that the case is moot since Florida has already passed legislation (SB 1604) nullifying the agreement.
Ultimately, she determined she needed more time to reach a decision and had both parties draft competing orders should she rule in their favor. And, it seems the time has come! A decision HAS been made.
The Judge Has Spoken
Today (July 28, 2023) Judge Margaret H Scheiber DENIED Disney's motion to dismiss. The conclusion states, "Because this case is not moot and a stay is not proper, the Court hereby denies Disney's Motion to Dismiss or, in the Alternative, to Stay this Action. Disney shall file its answer to the District's Corrected Complaint within twenty (20) days of the date of this order."
Disney LOST its motion to dismiss in the state-level case.
Now, Disney must prepare its answer. We here at kennythepirate.com will keep you updated on what happens next.
What do you think about the judge's decision to DENY Disney's Motion to Dismiss? Let us know in the comments. And, be sure to pass this along to your friends who have been following along with the battle.
So sad, all the hate. Never have we had such division, and what are we getting out of it? Accusations by those who know nothing about the true workings of others. Opinions are fine as long as you don’t force them on others. Those throwing stones were raised on the same grounds as the rest of us, which was a simpler time, Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry and street lights for signals to return home. What are ya trying to fix? If it is society, is it because it screwed you up so bad that you think it MUST be fixed? Or you just need control of everyone and everything because of the bitterness and hatred you created for yourself? Try love and acceptance, quit trying to make everyone fit into what you believe is the ONLY right way.
Anyone who thinks Fox, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, etc are REAL news stations is somewhat delusional. Same with people who use TikTok.
Do you even know what the word Woke means take some time and go look it up. Stop being Stupid.
Wow! There’s a whole lotta “WOKE” going on here.
He’s the best Gov Florida has ever seen. He’s not allowing all the BS that’s going on in this country to come to FL. We don’t want the WOKENESS here!
So so wrong & crazy for that 1. DeSantis can't even win presidency. Now that right there is a joke!
Deathsantis ..is killing Florida..
Always got a hand out begging for help..but then trashes the feds.. DICTATORSHIP IN THE MAKING...
DeSantis pushed the law to cover through the 12th grade. Wow True discrimination and definitely breaking 1st Amendment Rights.
We are doomed. So much division and arguing be it left or right. Each part has the primary agenda of being in power. In regards to the article, government regardless of which party should stay out of personal lives as both the left and right interfere equally. Ok, strong defense and basic programs but micromanaging every facet of citizens is exactly what shouldn’t happen. Reading comments about education, teach facts and leave the critical thinking to the student. One final comment, a company can have free speech but their employees have the right to their own opinion without fear of repercussions from their employer. It really goes both ways. Disney should have no more benefits than any other business in Florida. So if Disney has specific oversights than all Florida businesses deserve that same thing. If not, than there is something inherently wrong with that arrangement regardless of a multi billion dollar company like Disney.
Disney should move to another state, there are so many willing to welcome them with open arms & no BS from some little fascist governor like DeSatan... Then FL can figure out how they are going to keep state taxes down, etc... go for it Disney you have nothing to lose & a lot to gain let FL bankrupt their state love to see how they deal with that. Keep your racist state to yourself let's see how that will work for them, meanwhile Disney can laugh all the way to the bank. Also, they should start looking to employ 7k jobs for their people.
Exactly! They can stay where they are
He won in a landslide in 2023. Did u know?
What is DeSantis excuse...He is a mini Napoleon
Florida is a hot, sticky swamp to begin with. Disney World is about the only draw Florida has and the whole world sees Disney as Florida's only conscience.
Blue states stay out of Florida. Vacation in NY, PA,VA,MA. Don't need the blue state money in red states. Do some research on what garbage you speak. Red states have less crime, unless it's the big cities that are mostly blue. I'll stick to the red areas, better people and better life. God bless all.
DeSantis will soon find out that his antics will cause the American people to vote him out of office. What a joke he is!
I have nothing but pity for your pathetic lack of critical thinking or intelligence
No one absolutely no one is advocating any “indoctrination”. If you actually read real curriculum you would realize how wrong you are about actual facts.
HERE HERE!!! Can’t agree more!! They sure want federal help after a hurricane!!!!
Florida runs its own state Disney doesn't run the state. Disney doesn't run our laws and doesn't tell us what laws are right. And what laws are wrong so stay the f out of it. Besides, we got Sea World, we got universal studios. And we got fun Spot We got Volcano Bay, we so much stuff. Disney is not the only thing we got here.
So please don't worry about Garbage Disney. There are some child groomers.
As a business owner and a part time resident of Naples I cannot believe that DeSantis would punish any company that just states an opinion. What a petty small little man the governor has become… or maybe he always was a one.
The definition of Fascism is when government and big business collude. That would be the Federal government, FBI and Big Tech and Pharma. We want our school children to learn math, science, reading, writing, actual history not to have your sick, pedophile, gender studies indoctrination of our 5-11 year olds!
Hint. Fascists ban books. They decide what educators may teach. They vilify those that dare be different .They Implement laws that punish citizens or companies from speaking out against the government. They pass laws that take away rights. They pass laws that allow them to operate in secrecy. They build military style militias.
Looking over the comments here is disappointing. Both sides are acting like petulant children. Stuck in the middle is the common folk who use Disney as a place to get away from this crap. Politicizing entertainment just plain sucks. Iger has no real clue how to handle this so cones in like a school yard bully.
Really then don't take anymore blue state monies .use only the money that you generate there in the state of Florida.
Hahahahaha
Enjoy the next hurricane and your state funded insurance
Also enjoy your state health care
What a joke your state really is
Been taking money from the blue states for decades now
Stand on your own two feet
Just laughable how dependent your state is on all the money from blue states
Dang they'll let all these boomer bootlickers just thrive anywhere won't they? I get it, you love Florida. Being so simple minded it's hard to think for yourself, so you love your yes chamber state where they think Fox is actual news. Lol Well here's a truth you'll have to swallow my dear elderly and gettin' thur folks.. We're taking over soon. Suck it up. You have zero choice now. Argue with that. Unless you have some solution to immortality. Lol Have fun screaming at me. All half of you are doing is calling each other stupid and making stuff up because why not, then yelling "do ur reaseachhhhh god bless lolololl//!!!".
People need to take your keyboards away.
You mean it's the Blue Cities and States that believe in democracy and Florida is where Fascist go to live under authoritarian regime and the biggest joke for a government.
5 stars
You have no clue what a fascist authoritarian looks like. The problem here is your ignorance.
Ron DeSantis is a fascist and only cares about himself- Drain the GOP swamp and make America Great Again!!!
Big corporations or big government are not about people they are about money and power neither one gives a hoot about you or me you all need to wake up and smell the coffee most every person that has cared about the people has been assassinated Martin Luther King Mahatma Gundi
Disney, Bud Lite, Mabeline, North Face, Target, etc. Stay away from our children!
You'd rather have Governor Ron tell your kids how to think?
Public records in the state of Florida.
Where do you get yours.
You should really research truth before posting.
1 Florida has 1500+ improvement districts.
2 500 corporations own these districts.
3 These districts are governed same as Disney is. By the boards appointed or voted in by the corporations.
4. Disney has not broken any Florida state laws or Federal laws.
5 DeSantis violated the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution.
6 Truth is Disney is also getting a huge tax break now versus what they had and Florida citizens are going to pick up the costs.
Maybe you should post truth.
Where do you get your information?
You have no clue what you are talking about.
Disney is one of hundreds, if not thousands, the Florida government approved self-government opportunities. DeSantis can't tolerate anyone finding fault with or disagreeing with him, just like trump. Too bad his feelings were hurt, which is the basis for these suits. He's a very poor role model for his kids.
Karen, you seem to be simple minded, so the confusion is understandable. You have posted so many inaccurate, asinine statements, it's hard to count.
Good, please do. Florida is already overcrowded and we don't want any more groomers or pedophiles here, Disney has already imported enough
Stop telling the truth!
It's hard to even count the asinine comments made in this post.
Who lectured you? And what was the lecture about? If you believe that Disney is a pedophile place, I believe that you have never been there. Where did you invent this pedophile thing at Disney? Or did someone just fed it to you and you blindly repeat?
So banning books in schools gives parents a sat so in their children's education? Where is the parenrs' say what their kids should or should not read? The government has decided foe them.
Really ignorance prevails in Florida
Your comments are sooo ridiculous. In that vein, I don't like to be lectured by the state government, much less by that wannabe dictator
Lol.... Maybe go to Ukraine. They'll fit in well.
Seriously? Wow, your President is the one supporting using government guns on people. His puppet in Ukraine just made it illegal to have an opposing political party.
Remember, it was blue cities & states with government agents arresting people for going to church.
Whoever feels that a place that is a genuinely happy place for families and children throughout the entire world that makes people feel happy and at peace in such a current world full of stress and sadness such as Walt Disney World is someone who genuinely doesn’t care about families or children. Ron Desantis doesn’t care about these things. He lacks empathy and compassion to see people happy. All he cares about is himself and so called “power”. Pathetic
The state courts in florida are owned by desantis
Technically, Karen, the fact that you did not fully type out His name shows that you already know. If saying it offends someone, they can SUE.
As far as Disney goes, they are a corporation and have a board of directors to govern their business. They should not, however have the power to Govern, politically speaking, an area that has a governing party that was VOTED into office by the constituents.
Disney has stepped outside of many lines over the years and was allowed to do so because of the amount of money, blah, blah they bring to FL. The only reason verybody is mad is because Disney got it's feelings hurt. But if they looked at WHY these changes are happening they might get UNbent.
DeDantis is truly a fascist, and need to be shut down completely.
Thank God for Governor De Santez. I'm thankful that the people of Florida keep Disney in line. Someone has to control the whims of these groomers and pedophiles that run Disney. I loved the old Disney but hate the new Disney. I don't appreciate Disney's politics and views on social issues. I don't like being lectured to by my amusement park. I'm looking forward to seeing how bad Snow Woke and the Seven They Thems fail!
Obviously you don't know what's go going on , it's opposite the crappy Governor , whom ever he thinks he is has gotten his weiny opinion in Disney business , not a good thing , I hope and pray it ruins him, and his lack of governing, and did I mention , he is a cry baby!
Orlando airport (MCO) is the most frequently flown destinations on the planet!!! If anyone thinks all of these people fly to to Orlando for the beaches they’re as nuts as the governor. Without Disney Orlando and the people would suffer for certain. Think about it.. Disney employs over 70000 people, all the tourism $ gone! Here’s another perspective… before Disney FL was nothing. Walt had a vision and picked Orlando to carry it out. They form a bonded agreement and from there a state is truly born! Now because they have a difference with the governor, all those years of progress and prosperity meant nothing? It’s almost the same as if Disney in the state of Florida got married then after Disney helps Florida become a tourism Mecca now Florida wants to divorce Disney over a disagreement? No sense just a bully as a governor.
Ron DeSantis is the textbook definition of a fascist.
It may benefit you to read the actual law. This is for up through 3rd grade..lol. ohmyword the craziness in this world, makes no sense for ANYONE or any business to make this such a HUGE deal, its absurd
Agree
Disney has never told anyone how to think, and considering that Disney made large contribution to Ron DeSantis for his campaign.
It's obvious you have know idea what you are talking about.
All large businesses contribute to politicians and like anyone or business they have the right to speak their opinion. And no one ,not government or the governor has the right to punish anyone or business for speaking their opinion.
Disney is just one of many corporations that believes parents should have no say in raising their own children. DeSantis and the FL legislature have shown tremendous courage in addressing this problem. I pray they will prevail.
Disney has been around a long time. They have freedom of speech just as we all are Supposed to. But politician just have to try and controll everything, now if they don't like the g__ word well let's pass law you can't say g__. What's next,this is or supposed to be land of the free,and laws like this take away the freedom ourforfathers and vets have fought for,go in vain. Stand up for ur rights and stand up for the vets that fought so hard,life and limb for our freedoms
Thank you for your thoughts and for reading. It will certainly be interesting to see what the State Courts ultimately determine.
I think it is atrocious that any government in this country can change laws in order to overtake privately owned companies after they have made their state profitable. I also think it is horrendous that a very small majority of government can decide who is an American and they should think, act and work in this country. I thought I woke up in Russia or North Korea after hearing what red states plan for their citizens. Shame on all of them for their greed and bullying tactics. I look forward to the day when USA is the land of the free.
It means the court will decide if the agreements were void from the start, even before the bill passed voided them. That would remove a big chunk of Disney's federal lawsuit, where most of the claims seek to restore the agreement. Whether or not the agreements were validly entered is strictly a matter of state law, so the federal suit cannot change the state court's decision on their validity.
Yes. Because Disney thinks it's doing the right thing when it's telling parents how they should think.
So if you don't like Florida....fine.
So if you think Disney has a business in getting political....fine.
If you think these are both true, then OTHER PEOPLE have the right to OPPOSE those stances.
Quibble all you want.
Frankly, I'd surprised this actually amounts to anything.
That's great. Boycott all you want.
Just like the rest of all those states are boycotting the rest of all the silliness coming from Cali.
I think things are getting really out of hand. Honestly I am worried that DeSantis secretary has a hatred for Disney and wants to shut them down. I even feel like that if he becomes president he'll send the military to occupy the main Disney offices. I know it's a but much but I just have that feeling.
What you said makes no sense. If Disney leave Florida, do you think Florida will get better? No it won't. Why because there will be suffering among the people. Where will the employees at go? Will they find jobs? I don't think so. Plus the Revenue from Disney will be a loss to Florida. Unemployment will be sky high and Florida will be hit in the pocket. Florida won't be getting Disney taxes anymore. You think about. There is a few state with open arms waiting to take Disney World in.
I boycott everything from Florida, Texas, and the rest of the Red states. Everything. With our phones it's easy to find the HQ of just about any company, any product. Times up. I simply will not support them.
I think the courts should dismiss this bigoted case and let Disney continue to spread happiness in the world despite people who are like DeSantis
I don't see what the big deal is honestly
Walt is rolling in his grave at what his company has become I remember the days that Disney used to have a very strong morality code for being hired now any quack who's applying can get hired
There are many special taxing districts in florida.. unless they go after all of them , it shows obvious bias on the part of governor
Why is Disney speaking for our kids Disney should stick the Disney business not putting your nose in somebody else's ***
Disney should just pack.up and leave Florida.
Nope. Not gonna happen and they don't have their own special districts.
An agreement between two legal parties cannot be be declared invalid by one party even if it is new, like the present case. Using the legislature’s to pass new laws to overtake a private property or a company, is a common communist act. That’s what communism is, the appropriations of private property. “Very estranged for a neo-fascist Governor”.
Seems to be that this will be a great win for Disney if all of the RCID debts and what not are passed on to the state. Meanwhile Universal and SeaWorld have their own special districts that they have to fund.
This could be a huge blowback for the state, all caused by someone's ego.
Interesting I haven’t heard many people look at it this way. Thank you for reading and for your thoughts.
So wait... wouldn't that mean that the initial agreement between disney and reedy creek was valid and the law florida passed to intervine isn't? I imagine that will be in Disney's challenge because if the dismissal is just thrown out it means the law passed didn't override the agreement...
Exactly. This is the same confusion I have! It will certainly be interesting to find out what the Court determines and more interesting still to see whether whatever decision is reached is challenged in a higher court.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts.
Right? I wonder if it is indicative of the future ruling.
But, you DID it. Thanks for reading,
Getting to the point of this article was a painful, overly long exercise.
Interesting….