Representatives of Disney have defended the company’s legal approach, which included requesting the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a widower regarding the death of his spouse. The business claims that the widower’s acceptance of the terms and conditions while registering for theDisney+ streaming service warrants the dismissal of the complaint.
After his spouse, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan passed away in October 2023, Jeffrey Piccolo filed a wrongful death case against Walt Disney World and Resorts earlier this year. The restaurant at the resort close to Orlando, Florida, called Raglan Road Irish Pub is where she died after eating there.
Allegations of an allergic response are made in the lawsuit against Disney and the restaurant over Dr. Tangsuan’s demise. Anaphylaxis brought on by an excessive amount of dairy and nuts in her system was the cause of her death, according to the medical examiner’s findings. When Piccolo and his wife asked the server several times while eating, he claimed the server assured them their order would be free of allergens.
According to Piccolo, Disney should be sued for more than $50,000 in damages since the wait staff was careless.
The case is still pending, but this week brought notice to a recent statement made by Disney’s legal team. Piccolo accepted Disney’s terms of use, thus the company’s lawyers claimed that the matter ought to be dropped and settled out of court. When he used his Disney+ account to purchase Disney theme park tickets in 2019 and again in 2023, he agreed to these rules, which included an arbitration clause that covered “all disputes,” including those involving “The Walt Disney Company or its affiliates.” An affiliate of The Walt Disney Company is Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Disney’s legal approach was defended on Thursday by a representative for the firm in a statement provided to The Guardian.
We realize the family is grieving and are very sorry for their loss. We’re defending ourselves against the plaintiff’s attorney trying to drag us into their case against the restaurant because Disney doesn’t own or run this restaurant.”
Disney’s motion to dismiss Piccolo’s case has been deemed “surreal” by Piccolo’s attorneys, who further state that Disney is essentially attempting to stop any of its 150 million Disney+ members from ever bringing a wrongful death lawsuit against the company before a jury, even if the case has nothing to do with Disney+.
October 2, 2024, at 10:00 AM, is the day of the hearing.
