“It is a dangerous precedent for the state to weaponize public power.”
Disney says it plans to appeal until it wins
DeSantis: It was just a limitation of Disney’s privileges
In a long legal battle between the Walt Disney Company (hereinafter referred to as Disney) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (a Republican), a U.S. court ruled in favor of DeSantis.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSG) on the 31st of last month (local time), the U.S. court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Disney, claiming that DeSantis retaliated by depriving Disney of its autonomy when he criticized his legislation related to sexual minorities.
Previously, in 2022, conflict between the two sides arose when Disney opposed the so-called ‘law banning gay mentions’. Immediately after the state of Florida enacted a law prohibiting education on sexual identity, such as homosexuality, for public school students in lower grades, Disney expressed its stance against it.
Disney argued that “banning education about gender identity and sexual orientation is harmful to sexual minority youth.” DeSantis then criticized Disney as “a ‘woke’ company that does not align with parents’ values.”
Afterwards, at DeSantis’ request, the state of Florida handed over local control of Disney, which had been maintained for over 50 years, to the governor. In relation to this, Disney filed a lawsuit, saying, “This is government retaliation for expressing political views.”
DeSantis and the Republican Party responded by saying, “This was a move to limit the excessive privileges that Disney has secured for decades,” and that “they are just one of the corporations and have no right to a special government.”
The federal court decided to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis that “there was no violation of the law in the process of deprivation of autonomy,” and that the intent and motivation of the legislature were not important in enacting related laws.
In response to this ruling, Disney pointed out, “If this ruling is left as is, it will set a dangerous precedent.” He also announced his plan to appeal, saying, “This gives the state a license to punish the expression of political opinions by weaponizing public power.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.