Two employees are suing the Walt Disney Company, alleging that the company's decision to move their jobs from California to Florida and then back again has caused them financial and emotional distress. The employees, Maria De La Cruz and George Fong, who work in Disney's product design division, have filed a lawsuit seeking damages for themselves and potentially hundreds of other affected employees.
In 2021, Disney announced plans to relocate 2,000 positions from California to Florida under then-CEO Bob Chapek. However, after CEO Bob Iger returned in May 2023, the company canceled the $1 billion Lake Nona office complex project, leading to uncertainty and upheaval for employees who had already made the move.
The complaint alleges that Disney misled employees about the true nature of the relocation project, causing significant hardship for those who uprooted their lives to move to Florida. De La Cruz and Fong sold their homes in California and purchased new homes in Florida, only to face challenges when the project was canceled.
De La Cruz expressed concerns about job security in Florida after the project's cancellation, highlighting the anxiety and uncertainty faced by employees caught in the middle of Disney's shifting plans. Fong, who had to sell his childhood home in California, also struggled with housing market fluctuations that affected his ability to resettle in his home state.
Attorney Jason Lohr, representing the plaintiffs, emphasized that the employees had acted in good faith by relocating for their jobs and expressed loyalty to Disney despite the difficulties they faced. Disney has not yet responded to the lawsuit or provided a comment on the matter.
While Disney still owns the land in Lake Nona where the corporate campus was planned, the company has not disclosed its future plans for the property, leaving the fate of the project and the affected employees in limbo.
