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Tragedy and scandal struck the Walt Disney World Resort this week after the death of 42-year-old Kanokporn “Amy” Tangsuan at Disney Springs. After a food-allergy-related incident at Raglan Road, Disney is currently embroiled in a controversial legal battle with her husband, Jeffery Piccolo, who filed a $50,000 lawsuit.
Credit: Inside the Magic
Shortly after, The Walt Disney Company is reportedly trying to avoid responsibility, citing that by agreeing to the terms and conditions on his Disney+ account in 2019, which requires trial users to arbitrate all disputes with the company. The so-called “preposterous” claim has already spiraled on social media, leading to a very vocal reaction from Disney’s dedicated fanbase.
As the legal drama unfolds, many fans are pulling their support from House of Mouse after a blatant display of greed and appalling indifference. As the studio bounces back from its “flop era,” new developments might cause a massive drop in theme park attendance.
Wrongful Death Suit Could Cripple Disney World and More
Credit: Disney
According to the official report from CNN, Kanokporn Tangsuan, with severe dairy and nut allergies, dined at Raglan Road in October 2023 after being assured by the waiter of allergen-free food options. Despite repeated assurances, Tangsuan suffered a fatal allergic reaction after consuming the meal, with elevated levels of dairy and nuts found in her system.
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A new development surfaced this week that Disney is supposedly “explicitly seeking to bar its 150 million Disney+ subscribers from ever prosecuting a wrongful death case against it,” undoubtedly causing a schism amongst its consumers. Needless to say, the matter does not paint a pretty picture for the Walt Disney Company.
Court documents show that the company is trying to get the $50,000 lawsuit tossed because the plaintiff, Jeffrey Piccolo, signed up for a one-month trial of the streaming service Disney+ in 2019, which requires trial users to arbitrate all disputes with the company.
Company lawyers also claim that because Piccolo used the Walt Disney Parks’ website to buy Epcot Center tickets, Disney is shielded from a lawsuit from the estate of Piccolo’s deceased wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, who died of a reaction to severe food allergies.
In a legal filing responding to Disney’s claims, Piccolo’s lawyer Brian Denney called Disney’s argument “preposterous” and said that the notion that signing up for a Disney+ free trial would bar a customer’s right to a jury trial “with any Disney affiliate or subsidiary, is so outrageously unreasonable and unfair as to shock the judicial conscience.”
In short, Disney is essentially trying to use an old Disney+ agreement to avoid a wrongful death suit, and this doesn’t exclude other subscribers. According to the language used in the report, other early Disney+ subscribers could be under the same conditions.
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Accidents and deaths on Disney property are rare, but they do happen. However, this incident is bound to have multiple repercussions, and (as @evhandagain demonstrates below) it will drastically affect Disney’s overall image.
WARNING: The footage below contains coarse language.
The Mask Falls
@evhandagain Disney is being sued by a man whose wife passed away from going into anaphylactic shock after being served food she is allergic to… but Disney has a trick up their sleeve #disney #disneyplus #disneysprings #disneylawsuit #jeffreypiccolo #disneyland
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
The user above says it best. While Disney might be covered legally, the growing news development presents a very immoral image that might have many fans reconsidering their trips. If Disney is willing to try and brush off a preventable death that happened on park property with something as minuscule as a Disney+ condition, what other terms might they be hiding?
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While not the first death at Disney, the optics of this situation could cause many hardcore fans to pull their support, as demonstrated by the responses on social media platforms like TikTok and X. As a result, a decline in ticket sales is certainly predicted until the matter is resolved.
Disney goes to great lengths in its health and safety standards at the parks. Whether the fault lies with Disney or the Raglan Road restaurant remains to be decided, but this display will not win the mouse any new friends.
Do you think Disney will win this scandalous legal battle? Let us know in the comments below!
Its a sad no win situation, sad that she died, sad that he has to sue the disney company and sad that this is only $50K for the life of someone. surely an investigation is being conducted as to why she was able to consume foods she was so alergic too.