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A clear win for Gov. DeSantis in the 2-year-long battle over Disney World. Today a judge dismissed the case Disney filed against DeSantis arguing that his attempt to take control of the district where the park operates was retaliation for the company’s freedom of speech.
In a victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit filed by the Walt Disney Company claiming that Mr. DeSantis and his allies violated the First Amendment by taking over a special tax district that encompasses Walt Disney World…
On Wednesday, Judge Allen Winsor in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee dismissed the federal case in its entirety. In its lawsuit, Disney had accused Mr. DeSantis of a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint.” The campaign, the company had added, “now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region and violates its constitutional rights.”
But Judge Winsor found that the law giving Mr. DeSantis control of the special tax district was written in a way that — on its face — did not allow Disney to claim retaliation, mostly because Disney was not the only landowner affected.
Judge Windsor also found that Disney had failed to allege any injury from the takeover of the district.
Disney also failed to show damages from specific actions the new board has taken or will take because of the governor’s alleged control of it, the judge wrote.
“In fact, Disney has not alleged any specific injury from any board action,” Winsor said.
