A lawsuit filed against Walt Disney World Resort and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office centers on a troubling allegation: that a woman experiencing what she describes as a medical emergency was denied help and detained during an April 2025 encounter at Magic Kingdom Park.
The Arrest
Halen Holton, a Missouri resident, was arrested at the Magic Kingdom Park bus loop on April 11, 2025, after Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported disturbance. Cast members from Walt Disney World Resort’s security team said Holton was intoxicated and causing a scene, and issued her a trespass notice. When she refused to leave the property and resisted deputies’ attempts to detain her, she was taken into custody.
Holton was charged with trespass after warning, disorderly intoxication, and resisting an officer without violence. Authorities described her as “uncooperative” upon arrival at the jail.
“I Knew My Body Was Shutting Down”
Holton’s lawsuit reframes the entire encounter. Rather than a simple case of disorderly conduct, she describes a medical crisis that both Disney cast members and law enforcement chose to disregard. She alleges she was experiencing “confusion, weakness, and overheating” and made repeated requests for someone to call 911 — requests that, according to the filing, were flatly refused. She was also reportedly prevented from leaving to seek care on her own.
“I knew my body was shutting down,” Holton wrote.
THolton claims deputies pulled her hair during the arrest and transported her in a hot patrol vehicle while she was already in distress. At the jail, she says she was denied water and medical treatment, held without proper clothing or access to basic needs, and subjected to the use of force by correctional staff. She wrote in the filing that she “believed she might die.”
As for Walt Disney World Resort‘s cast members, Holton claims they responded to her condition with indifference and mockery. One bus driver allegedly dismissed her, saying, “I have to finish my shift.”
After her release, Holton sought treatment at Daytona Advent Hospital. While she did not disclose a specific diagnosis, the filing states she has since required “a specialized therapist and psychiatrist along with treating the physical damage done to [her] body.”
Holton’s affidavit is available below.
The Legal Claim
The lawsuit seeks $50,000 in damages per count, plus potential punitive damages against both Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Neither party has responded publicly to the filing.
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