Disney Files Another Suit Against DeSantis’ Board Seeking Damages From Feud While Gov. Tries To ‘Move On’

18.08.2023 - 17:49 / forbes.com / Ron Desantis

Disney filed a counterclaim in state court Thursday against the board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to oversee Walt Disney World’s special district, doubling down on the company’s ongoing feud with DeSantis and his appointees days after the governor said he was trying to “move on” from the controversy.

Disney filed the new counterclaim alleging wrongdoing by the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and asking the court to award Disney damages, after months of back-and-forth between the two parties in court as Florida seeks to strip the entertainment behemoth of its authority over its land.

The lawsuits and counter-suits date back to May, when, after Disney sued DeSantis and the board in federal court, the board sued Disney in state court asking the court to void a prior agreement that predated DeSantis’ appointments to the board.

The agreement gives broad powers to Disney over construction on its land, with the DeSantis-appointed board arguing it renders them “powerless” and alleging in court Disney put it into place unlawfully; Disney unsuccessfully sought to have the case dismissed.

The company’s latest counterclaim filed this week accuses the board of breach of contract and breaking Florida law in trying to have the contract voided, violating Disney’s rights to due process and free speech among other alleged infractions.

The filing came after DeSantis told CNBC Monday he and his allies had “basically moved on” from the dispute with Disney, encouraging the company to “drop the lawsuit” it’s filed in federal court against both him and the board.

The DeSantis-appointed board has also tried to quickly move on with its state lawsuit against the company, filing a motion for summary judgment earlier this week that asks the court to more speedily rule on the case rather than hold a trial.

Alan Lawson, the lead attorney representing the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in the state lawsuit, has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Disney’s counterclaim asks the court to award the company an unspecified amount in damages for the breach of contract, because it alleges the board is refusing to follow the legally-imposed development agreement. The company also asks the court to declare the development agreement is legal and void efforts taken by the board and state legislature to nullify it. The company’s lawsuit against DeSantis and his appointees in federal court similarly asks for the development agreement to be restored, and for Walt Disney World’s special district to go back to functioning as it did before the DeSantis feud began, with a board appointed by the district’s landowners—namely Disney—rather than the governor’s appointees.

“All we want to do is