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On Thursday, February 1, Disney filed an appeal of a federal judge's ruling that dismissed the company's lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
On Wednesday, Disney came in for a major setback when the judgment for its longstanding lawsuit against DeSantis did not rule in their favor. Following the defeat, a spokesperson for the company said:
“This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here. If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case.”
As per CBS News, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed the company's lawsuit against Governor DeSantis, ruling that the company did not have legal standing for the same.
What is Disney's lawsuit against DeSantis all about?
The origins of Disney's battle with DeSantis's government can be traced back to 2022.
Back then, De Santis passed a bill that limited the discussion of topics such as gender and sexuality in classrooms. Such topics were to be exempt from discussion among students from the fourth grade onwards.
The bill, which was dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, did not sit well with most.
A significant name in that was the company's then-CEO, Bob Chapek, who openly vocalized his views against the bill after many of his employees did the same. Following this, the company's control over Reedy Creek Improvement District, an area they had controlled since the 1960s, came under attack.
In February 2023, the company was completely stripped of its powers over Reedy Creek. The legislature made it clear that the area no longer fell under the company's jurisdiction but under the government's. It renamed Reedy Creek Improvement District to Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and appointed five officials headed by DeSantis to look over the undertakings of the area.
The company then decided to sue DeSantis, claiming that the legislature had ruled against them in response to their differences of opinion regarding a past matter. This, according to them, was a direct attack on the company's "First Amendment rights."
In a separate lawsuit, the company also alleged that since DeSantis's appointment in the area initially held by them, the board members have been "failing to properly preserve records."
On what grounds was Disney's lawsuit rejected?
On Wednesday, Disney's lawsuit against DeSantis was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, who stated that the company "lacked standing to bring the suit." He also said that the allegations had no empirical backing as the company had failed to show any harm that the new board has caused or will cause in the future.
He added:
"In fact, Disney has not alleged any specific injury from any board action."
Following this, the company filed an appeal on Thursday, challenging the ruling and demanding transparency in the matter.
With the company appealing to the Legislature, it will be some time before we get a proper verdict on the matter.
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