The wheels of justice are painfully slow. After nearly a year of fighting, Disney is finally getting a chance for a judge to hear the case their case against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Despite the opening salvo coming this week, this case will have legs, possibly for years.
Orange County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Schreiber will hear arguments this week from lawyers representing the Walt Disney Company and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Disney is asking Judge Schreiber to throw out the lawsuit against them by the CFTOD, alleging that Disney reached an unlawful deal with the Reedy Creek Improvement District before that board was dissolved. The CFTOD would like all those deals to be ruled “null and void.”
This started when Disney and then-CEO Bob Chapek reacted negatively to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature responded by stripping Disney World of its self-governing power and installing the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in place of Reedy Creek.
Just before the CFTOD took over, Disney reached an agreement with the Reedy Creek Improvement District, allowing Walt Disney World to control most decisions until 22 years after the last living descendant of King Charles III died. And thus, the “King Charles Clause” was born.
Having made DeSantis and his new board look foolish, they reacted the only way they could, by attempting a legislative end-around. And then Disney sued in Federal Court, claiming both Gov DeSantis and his board violated Disney’s First Amendment Rights. DeSantis and his board countersued, and that’s where we are now.
The case being heard this week by Judge Schreiber is the first step in what will ultimately be many. But it’s an essential step for Disney. Disney’s argument concerns what they did with Reedy Creek was legal and done in plain sight.
Disney’s lawyers told the court in May:
Dismissal is required here. This is an action (lawsuit) by a state board the Central Florida Tourism Oversight board raising questions about the validity of contracts that are already void and unenforceable by unequivocal legislative fiat. There is no order this court can issue that will affect that result.
Disney also accuses DeSantis of “initiated a hostile campaign of retaliation expressly targeting Disney for its protected speech.”
We will see what Judge Schreiber decides this week, as it could indicate what’s coming for these two sides when they step into Federal Court.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.
