Disney Employees Sue over Lake Nona Debacle
Two Cast Members who moved from California to Florida are suing The Walt Disney Company.
Specifically, the Disney employees have filed a class-action suit over the forced move to Lake Nona, Florida.
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TS_7_N_PP-scaled-1-1600x867-1.jpeg)
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TS_7_N_PP-scaled-1-1600x867-1.jpeg)
Photo: Central Florida Development Council
This story is both inflammatory and predictable, and it could get ugly. Here’s what we know about it.
What Just Happened?
![Lake Nona Florida Disney HQ](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/LakeNona.jpg)
![Lake Nona Florida Disney HQ](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/LakeNona.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Two current employees filed a lawsuit against Disney in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, June 18th.
The claim suggests that Disney forced some of its workers to move to Florida.
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lake-Nona-3.jpg)
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lake-Nona-3.jpg)
Photo: centralfloridaprimerealestate.com
You may recall the specifics of this debacle. Then-CEO Bob Chapek signed a lucrative deal with Florida.
Disney received a tax break that could have totaled $570 million over the duration of the agreement.
Obviously, Chapek recognized the potential financial benefits and agreed to build a Disney headquarters in Lake Nona, Florida.
Disney promised to bring 2,000 jobs to Florida while spending $1 billion on the new Lake Nona campus.
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lake-Nona-2.jpg)
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lake-Nona-2.jpg)
Photo: Tavistock Development Company
Had this project moved forward, the headquarters could be in operation right now.
Initially, Disney targeted 2024 as the opening year for its new facility.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona-Performance-Club.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona-Performance-Club.png)
Lake Nona Performance Club
Then, pandemic-related issues delayed the target date until 2026.
Soon afterward, Chapek feuded with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation.
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona-Neighborhood.jpg)
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona-Neighborhood.jpg)
Photo: VisitOrlando.com
At that point, Disney and Florida’s ruling party could no longer do business together, a situation that has only recently been resolved.
During the Florida Feud, Bob Iger replaced Chapek as Disney’s CEO. Later, Iger canceled the Lake Nona project entirely.
![Lake Nona campus](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona-campus.png)
![Lake Nona campus](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona-campus.png)
Photo: Lake Nona
Notably, Walt Disney World’s recently signed 15-year developer agreement restores the possibility of a Disney campus in Florida.
However, that’s far from a certainty. Meanwhile, many Cast Members found themselves caught in the middle of the turmoil.
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona.jpg)
![Lake Nona](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lake-Nona.jpg)
Photo: Roberto Gonzalez
Some, like Imagineer Kevin Lively, left the company. In the process, Disney lost centuries of its Imagineering knowledge base.
Others stayed in California, hoping they would never need to move to Florida.
![Kevin Lively](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Kvin-lively-scaled.jpg)
![Kevin Lively](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Kvin-lively-scaled.jpg)
Photo: Twitter/Kevin Lively
Finally, some Cast Members dutifully moved to Florida, something none of them had wanted to do.
About the Lawsuit
![Main Street Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/430108514_800906515406744_1508273396968765485_n.jpg)
![Main Street Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/430108514_800906515406744_1508273396968765485_n.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Those same Cast Members are now understandably angry and bitter.
They literally moved across the country to remain at Disney. Once they arrived in Florida, they learned their cross-country switch was unnecessary.
![Cast Member Tiana](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-16-47-43-4-Disneyland-Cast-Members-Chosen-for-Tianas-Bayou-Adventure.png)
![Cast Member Tiana](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-22-at-16-47-43-4-Disneyland-Cast-Members-Chosen-for-Tianas-Bayou-Adventure.png)
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
After all, Disney chose not to build Lake Nona, leaving some workers in limbo about their job assignments and career ambitions.
Some stayed with Disney, while others left the company. This lawsuit apparently starts with one current employee.
![World of Frozen Cast Member Preview](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-07-at-16-44-36-Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Cast-Members-Preview-World-of-Frozen.png)
![World of Frozen Cast Member Preview](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-07-at-16-44-36-Hong-Kong-Disneyland-Cast-Members-Preview-World-of-Frozen.png)
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
According to his LinkedIn page, plaintiff George Fong is the Senior Designer PD- Toddler Boy/Boy/Tween Boy Apparel, Costumes, Roleplay & Pets at Disney.
The other plaintiff is Maria De La Cruz, a Vice-President of Product Design.
![Disneyland Anniversary Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-21-at-17-06-45-Making-Magic-Through-the-Eyes-of-Disneyland-Resort-Cast-Members.png)
![Disneyland Anniversary Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-21-at-17-06-45-Making-Magic-Through-the-Eyes-of-Disneyland-Resort-Cast-Members.png)
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
According to the lawsuit, Fong suffered personally from Disney’s actions.
He had inherited his childhood home and had no interest in moving.
![Cast Members at Disneyland](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Haunted-Mansion-World-Premiere-Disneyland-Cast-Members-3.png)
![Cast Members at Disneyland](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Haunted-Mansion-World-Premiere-Disneyland-Cast-Members-3.png)
Cast Members at Disneyland
Disney’s announcement forced him to sell this home and move to Florida. You can imagine how stressful and frustrating that would be.
According to the LA Times, “they were fraudulently induced to relocate to Florida by being led to believe that they would lose their jobs if they turned down the move.
“De La Cruz and Fong agreed to the relocation in November 2021.
“The lawsuit said Disney told affected employees they would have 90 days to “consider and make the decision that’s best for them.”
With such a compressed timeline, both workers reluctantly accepted the move to Florida and sold their homes in California.
Only a year after they’d sold their homes, pot-committing them to the move, Disney canceled the Lake Nona project.
About the Lawsuit and the Implications
Everything about this situation is messy, and the entirety of the Lake Nona project was objectively a bad move by Disney.
Now, we have the final repercussion of this mistake, and it’s a class-action lawsuit.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-wdw-epcot-akershus-cast-members-valentines-day-photo-props-1-scaled.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-wdw-epcot-akershus-cast-members-valentines-day-photo-props-1-scaled.jpg)
Norway Photo Props
Fong has since moved back to California. However, he purchased a smaller home due to housing market issues.
When Fong moved to Florida, the price of real estate had skyrocketed in the Sunshine State due to the pandemic.
![Disney100 Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cc02893hnuc927hu3fcbiysdh.webp)
![Disney100 Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cc02893hnuc927hu3fcbiysdh.webp)
Photo: Disney
Then, soaring interest rates eroded the Central Florida market, leading to the devaluation of homes.
The lawsuit mentions that the price of housing in California has increased in the interim.
![Cast members in thematic outfits](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-wdw-disney-springs-ganachery-magic-backstage-cast-members4.png)
![Cast members in thematic outfits](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-wdw-disney-springs-ganachery-magic-backstage-cast-members4.png)
Photo: Disney
So, from a consumer perspective, Fong sold his family’s California home before the market increased. Effectively, he sold low.
Then, he bought high in Florida and later sold lower. Now, he’s had to buy a smaller residence in California, and he’s lost his family home.
![Disney100 Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/b8092hed98whjb98h2udwie.jpg)
![Disney100 Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/b8092hed98whjb98h2udwie.jpg)
Photo: Disney
For her part, De La Cruz is currently relocating to California.
Importantly, these two stories are not isolated ones. If anything, they reflect the experience of hundreds of Disney employees.
![Disney100 Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/he892hwebiy82qgeiabdsiuhjck-768x432-1.webp)
![Disney100 Cast Members](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/he892hwebiy82qgeiabdsiuhjck-768x432-1.webp)
Photo: Disney
These workers relocated at Disney’s demand. Otherwise, they would have lost their jobs.
Due to the regrettable timing, they caught bad financial breaks leaving California, arriving in Florida, and then returning to the West Coast.
What Happens Next?
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-entrance-main-street-train-station-cast-members-photopass-photographer-2-scaled.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-entrance-main-street-train-station-cast-members-photopass-photographer-2-scaled.jpg)
Cast Members at Magic Kingdom
To its credit, Disney worked with the affected employees and offered compensation packages.
However, the lawsuit claims these packages weren’t enough to cover the real estate losses and other expenditures.
Should many of these workers join the class-action suit, Disney’s legal exposure here could be in the tens, if not hundreds, of millions.
Also, we have the potential for the Disney workers who exited the company to join the class-action suit.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Cast-Members-1.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Cast-Members-1.jpg)
Cast Members
I often say that Disney wins the overwhelming majority of its lawsuits. This one’s a bit different in that the company’s exposure is high.
Objectively, Disney treated these people wrong, and if the lawsuit drags out, it’ll be a repeated publicity nightmare for the company.
Stay tuned because this one could get messy.
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