Disney Files Countersuit In State Court Against Ron DeSantis-Appointed Special District Board; Company Seeks Damages And Claims Retaliation
deadline.comThe Walt Disney Co. filed a counterclaim against the Ron DeSantis-appointed board of a special district that covers its Florida theme parks, seeking damages and the enforcement of a set of development contracts.
The company’s lawsuit, filed in Florida state court in Orange County, FL, was a response to litigation filed by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, which was appointed by DeSantis in late February after the state moved to strip Disney of its 55 years of control over the special district.
Read the Disney Reedy Creek counterclaim. In the counterclaim, the company’s legal team, led by Dan Petrocelli, wrote that Disney is seeking unspecified damages and wants a court order that the board comply with a development contracts between the special district and Walt Disney World.
In February, the Disney-controlled board of the special district approved the development contracts, ensuring that the company’s Florida theme parks and resorts still maintained a degree of autonomy even after state law was changed later in the month.
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