Disney Wins Round One of the Disneyland Wrongful Termination Lawsuit
Last January, we brought you the story of Jody Hunter-Deno, a former Disneyland Cast Member who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Disney in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
As a quick recap, Hunter-Deno was hired by Disneyland in February 2011 as a Fantasyland Cast Member. In August 2012, Disney hired Hunter-Deno’s son, who had previously been diagnosed with a mental disorder.
Photo: Disney
The Crux of the Case
According to the lawsuit, the elder Hunter-Deno told her managers that she needed to have her phone turned on while working so that she could respond quickly if her son had an emergency.
Subsequently, the plaintiff was given intermittent family leave, and procedures were put in place to allow her to respond quickly to an emergency.
Photo: Disney
In December 2023, Fantasyland management questioned Hunter-Deno about her phone usage. They then informed her that the device needed to be turned off. While the Cast Member claimed that she only used her phone during breaks, she was later suspended and fired.
Disney Wins Round 1
While the case’s main points of contention have yet to be adjudicated, Disney won the first round of the suit when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Christopher K. Lui granted Disney’s motion to move the trial to Anaheim.
Photo: Disney
In court documents, Disney argued that since the events in question happened in Orange County, the trial should be moved to Anaheim.
Hunter-Deno’s lawyers, meanwhile, contended that because Disney is headquartered in Burbank, Los Angeles County was the proper domain for the case.
Photo: Disney
As always, be sure to check back with MickeyBlog. We will continue to follow the latest Disney lawsuit and pass along any updates.
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