If you were hoping that the feud between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District was going to come to an end anytime soon, you are going to be sadly mistaken. Governor DeSantis’ Board just made a hire that shows it is in this fight for the long haul.
Related: Disney Busting Out ‘Legal Legend’ For Fight With DeSantis
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District recently hired Washington DC ligator Chuck Cooper to represent them in their fight with Disney. Cooper is a founding partner of Cooper and Kirk, a prominent Washington law firm representing some of the most prominent conservatives. The firm’s motto is “Victory or Death.”
Cooper started clerking for former Supreme Court William Rehnquist and worked in the Justice Department during the Reagan administration. Most recently, he represented former President Donald Trump’s Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, during his testimony into the allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 election. He also represented National Security Advisor John Bolton during the 2019 Impeachment Probe.
Disney hired Los Angeles law firm O’Melveny & Myers and WilmerHale to represent them in this suit. Disney will be represented by Daniel M. Petrocelli, chair of O’Melveny’s trial practice and the firm’s vice-chair. Petrocelli is a “legal legend” and has prosecuted some of the most high-profile cases of the past 30 years, including the O.J. Simpson civil trial and for Disney in Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit.
The State Attorney General will represent Florida Gov Ron DeSantis. It is unclear who will be paying for the services of Cooper, but the state of Florida will be picked up the tab for DeSantis’ representation.
Cooper has hit the ground running with his defense of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Just this past week, he filed a motion to have the judge in the case dismissed, while the Florida Attorney General filed a motion to have the case against Governor DeSantis dismissed. Both cases are still pending.
Governor DeSantis announced this past week that he would be seeking the Republican nomination for President of the United States in a glitchy opening to his campaign on Twitter Spaces. During his announcement, he doubled down on his feud with Disney, citing it as one of his accomplishments in Florida.
This all started when Republican Gov Ron DeSantis stripped Walt Disney World of its self-governing power after Disney spoke against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. DeSantis replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District with a new board, but Disney struck a deal to strip the board members of their power before they were seated.
The Florida legislature passed a new law, voiding any deal Disney struck with the previous board. Disney has now filed a lawsuit claiming its First Amendment rights were violated. This leaves the future of Disney World’s oversight board in question.
So, with a multi-billion corporation on one side and the aspirations of a future President on the other, we are in a lengthy legal battle between two incredibly great legal minds.
We will keep you updated on this story at Disney Fanatic.
