(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A judge threw out a federal lawsuit Disney filed against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alleging he retaliated against the entertainment company for criticizing his public policies.
Judge Allen Winsor, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, ruled Disney did not have sufficient legal standing to sue the governor and the secretary of Florida’s Commerce Department.
DeSantis and the Florida legislature last year eliminated the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which for 55 years helped foster development for Walt Disney World and the company’s hotels and other entertainment venues. The board for the district is now handpicked by DeSantis and confirmed by the state Senate.
The attorneys for DeSantis and the other defendants in the case requested the case be thrown out after it was filed in the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee.
Disney alleged the defendants punished the company because it came out against DeSantis’ 2022 “Parental Rights in Education” bill (dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics), which limited the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.
“This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here,” said a Disney spokesperson in a statement to Vanity Fair.
The spokesperson added, “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.”
