Disney on Friday asked a federal judge for permission to file an amended complaint focusing just on the First Amendment claim and leaving to another,...
Disney wants to narrow the scope of its federal lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis to just a free-speech claim that the Florida governor retaliated against the company because of its public opposition to a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.
The agreements shifted control of design and construction at the theme-park resort from the new DeSantis appointees on the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to Disney. The DeSantis appointees are now challenging the legality of the agreements in state court. DeSantis isn’t a party in the state court lawsuit.
The revised complaint would challenge “this unconstitutional weaponization of government by seeking a declaratory judgment that will allow Disney to pursue its future in Florida free from the ongoing retaliatory actions of the CFTOD Board,” Disney said. The Disney request, as well as other recent motions filed in the state case, demonstrate how the fates of the two lawsuits have become intertwined, especially after Disney filed a counter-claim in the state case asserting many of the same claims made in the federal case. Disney filed the counter claim after the state court judge refused Disney’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.