ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney is asking a Florida choose on Friday to toss out a lawsuit in opposition to the corporate’s efforts to neutralize a takeover of Disney World’s governing district by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his appointees.
The listening to scheduled for an hour in state courtroom in Orlando includes considered one of two instances between the Disney and DeSantis or his governing district appointees stemming from the takeover, which was retaliation for the corporate’s public opposition to the so-called Don’t Say Gay laws championed by DeSantis and Republican state lawmakers.
Disney and DeSantis have been engaged in a yearlong feud that the governor has touted throughout his run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, typically accusing the leisure large as being too “woke.” Disney has accused the governor of violating its free speech rights.
Disney is arguing earlier than Circuit Judge Margaret Schreiber that any choice in state courtroom could be moot for the reason that Republican-controlled Legislature already has handed a legislation voiding the agreements. If the choose decides to not dismiss the state case, the leisure large is asking that the state courtroom case be placed on maintain till a federal lawsuit in Tallahassee is resolved since they cowl the identical floor and that lawsuit was filed first.
In that case, Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in an effort to cease the takeover, claiming the governor was violating the corporate’s free speech and “weaponizing the power of government to punish private business.”
The DeSantis appointees on the district’s board are asking that their case not be dismissed, telling the choose that it isn’t moot and placing it on maintain could be improper.
“Disney’s motion is classic Imagineering, inviting the court to make believe that reality is whatever Disney dreams up,” attorneys for the oversight district’s board stated in a courtroom submitting.
The struggle between DeSantis and Disney started final yr after the corporate, dealing with important strain internally and externally, publicly opposed a state legislation banning classroom classes on sexual orientation and gender id in early grades, a coverage critics name “Don’t Say Gay.”
As punishment, DeSantis took over the district by way of laws handed by Florida lawmakers and appointed a brand new board of supervisors to supervise municipal providers for the sprawling theme parks and inns. But earlier than the brand new board got here in, the corporate made agreements with earlier oversight board members who have been Disney supporters that stripped the brand new supervisors of their authority over design and development.
In response, DeSantis and Florida lawmakers handed the laws that repealed these agreements.
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