Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Agree To June Trial Date
After The Walt Disney Company accused the Ron DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) of withholding records and dodging Disney’s questions, the two sides have agreed to delay the start of the state trial until June 24.
The CFTOD is suing Disney in Florida state court over the last-minute binding agreements that the company made with the former Reedy Creek Improvement District in the waning days of the entity’s existence.
The agreements essentially gave Disney control over their Central Florida land in perpetuity, undercutting any authority that the CFTOD was assuming from Reedy Creek through it.
Disney’s Countersuit
Disney, meanwhile, is countersuing the CFTOD for failing to execute the legally binding agreements. Additionally, Disney is also suing the district for failing to turn over requested documents in a timely matter.
Earlier this week, Disney asked Florida Judge Margaret Schreiber to require the CFTOD to turn over the requested documentation.
“It’s enough to really get you to ask, ‘What is it they’re trying to hide here? ” Disney attorney Stephen Brody said.
The records in question include communications about the Reedy Creek agreements that are located on CFTOD representatives’ personal devices.
“The district appears to have made no effort to search for, collect, or review documents from personal email accounts or mobile devices of district board members and employees,” said Brody.
Disney also asked the judge to require the CFTOD to answer written questions about how the new board was selected.
“It’s a basic inquiry in a case where one of the central issues is whether actions have been directed by or coordinated with the governor’s office to harm Disney,” said Brody.
The CFTOD Says Disney Is Being Unreasonable
The CFTOD, meanwhile, has argued that it has complied with Disney’s requests to the best of its ability, but some documentation is too burdensome to compile.
“One of the things that has been a little frustrating is that Disney essentially is complaining that they don’t think that we produced enough documents,” Huck said. “We’ve reviewed over 289,000 documents in response to this, including tens of thousands of documents that were reviewed from senior members of staff at the district.”
Additionally, the district argues that Disney’s questions are irrelevant to the case at hand.
“How and why the board and the district administrator were appointed or hired is irrelevant to whether those actions are lawful,” said Huck. “That’s not what this case is about, and that’s not what Disney’s counterclaim is about.”
While Judge Schreiber has declared that she will rule on Disney’s requests later, the two sides have at least agreed on when the trial will start.
Disney and the CFTOD will prepare for their June 24 showdown.
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