Disney sues DeSantis for damages after he asks them to drop suit

Disney has filed a counterclaim seeking damages against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just days after the presidential hopeful said the two feuding parties have “moved on” from the dispute.

Disney has accused the board of supervisors picked by DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney World’s special tax district of breaching contracts, according to Thursday’s 55-page court filing in response to Florida’s recent lawsuit against the media titan.

In addition to damages, the company has requested a court order for the district to comply with the contracts it entered before the board took control of the park’s development, which are at the heart of the legal battle, CNBC reported.

Disney’s filing denies the district board’s allegations against the company in its state-level lawsuit. 

“Except as expressly admitted, qualified, or otherwise stated, Disney denies each and every allegation and assertion in the Complaint,” the company wrote.

The company also put forward 12 “affirmative defenses” against the board — including that it lacks legal standing.

Disney is suing DeSantis separately in a related federal lawsuit accusing the Sunshine State leader of political retaliation.

The feud between Disney and DeSantis began last year when the company blasted Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which bans classroom instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation in lower grades.

DeSantis and his allies in the state legislature responded by stripping Disney’s self-governing authority and establishing the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District [CFTOD] — which now has control over the park’s development. 

The district’s five-member board was replaced by DeSantis picks, essentially giving him control over the park’s development.

Walt Disney World previously had the ability to self-govern its operations since the 1960s.

Before the CFTOD took control, however, Disney made contracts to secure its investments in the Sunshine State as tensions between the two rose.

The new board has sued Disney, accusing it of pushing “backroom deals” through in order to undermine its power. They voted to nullify the contracts and Disney sued in response, according to CNBC.

The DeSantis board then countersued in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida, claiming that Disney did not have the authority to enter into the contracts.

DeSantis, who is struggling in the polls behind former President Donald Trump, called on Disney to drop its suit against him, warning that the company is “going to lose” if they don’t.

“I would just say go back to what you did well, I think it’s going to be the right business decision,” DeSantis said in an interview with CNBC on Monday.

“We’ve basically moved on, they’re suing the state of Florida, and they’re going to lose that lawsuit. So what I would say is drop the lawsuit,” he said.