The Walt Disney Company has filed an appeal after a Florida federal judge dismissed the company's lawsuit against the state's GOP governor, Ron DeSantis. The suit, which was filed last April, stems from a decision made by a DeSantis-appointed board of voters to punish Disney for its vocal support of LGBTQ+ rights by revoking a years-long agreement stipulating that the company is permitted to self-govern its operations, effectively ceding power to the governor. It claims DeSantis violated the company's free speech right and accused him of initiating a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint," per the New York Times. For some time ahead of the decision, DeSantis and Disney had been bickering over the governor's support of a "Don't Say Gay" bill that barred the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in some Florida schools.
Judge Allen Winsor, who the NYT noted was appointed by former president Donald Trump in 2019, in his ruling claimed that Disney "lacked standing to sue DeSantis and that the company’s claims against the governor’s oversight board failed on merit," according to CNN.
“This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here,” a Disney spokesperson said on Wednesday, per CNN. “If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case.”
