Disney Accuses DeSantis of “Ongoing Constitutional Mutiny”
Despite both parties publicly stating that they would like to tone down their feud and move on, it doesn’t sound like the battle between Ron DeSantis and The Walt Disney Company will end anytime soon.
In the latest filing in Disney’s federal lawsuit against DeSantis, the company accused the Florida governor and his allies of “openly rejecting the foundational First Amendment rule that a state cannot deploy its official powers to punish the expression of disfavored political viewpoints. Consistent with that outlook, their motion to dismiss rests explicitly on the premise that states are free to wield the ‘structure and composition’ of representative political institutions as cudgels against those who express opinions not acceptable to the ruling party.”


Photo: Fox Business
Disney is suing DeSantis in federal court, arguing that the governor-led dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District was done in retaliation for Disney publically speaking out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics have dubbed Don’t Say Gay.


The Walt Disney Company
Disney’s latest filing comes after DeSantis’ legal team asked the judge to dismiss the case.
Disney Goes on the Offensive
In their latest filing, Disney argued that the company was “an especially prominent target of the State’s attacks on free speech, one with the resources to hold the State accountable for its wrongdoing. But if the State’s strategy succeeds, Disney will assuredly not be the last entity punished for espousing disfavored viewpoints. If the line is not drawn here, there is no line at all.”


(Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Disney)
Citing the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, Disney has argued that First Amendment principles apply to businesses.
DeSantis meanwhile has argued that the Disney-controlled Reedy Creeky gave the company special treatment.


Photo: GBN Britain’s News Channel
In their response, Disney’s attorneys say that the governor’s actions went beyond his effort to control the district. In their filing they noted that he “announced that the board might approve use of Disney-adjacent property for development of rival ‘amusement parks’ or even construction of a ‘state prison’—the ‘possibilities are endless.’”
DeSantis Says He is Immune From Suit
DeSantis’ motion to dismiss the case was predicated on the notion that the governor does not enforce the laws at issue in the case.
“Disney must do more than generalize: It must show that the State Defendants have the specific, formal power to enforce the challenged laws, such that an injunction against them would ‘be effectual’,” his team wrote.


Ron DeSantis and Glen Gilzean. Photo: Central Florida Urban League
Now that Disney has filed their response to DeSantis’ motion, both sides will wait on the federal judge’s ruling.
The latest back and forth, however, makes one thing clear — the battle between Disney and and DeSantis is not slowing down anytime soon.
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