Disney is arguing before Circuit Judge Margaret Schreiber that any decision in state court would be moot since the Republican-controlled Legislature already has passed a law voiding the agreements. If the judge decides not to dismiss the state case, the entertainment giant is asking that the state court case be put on hold until a federal lawsuit in Tallahassee is resolved since they cover the same ground and that lawsuit was filed first.
In that case, Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in an effort to stop the takeover, claiming the governor was violating the company’s free speech and “weaponizing the power of government to punish private business.” The DeSantis appointees on the district’s board are asking that their case not be dismissed, telling the circuit judge that it isn’t moot and putting it on hold would be improper. DeSantis isn’t a party in the state court lawsuit.
“Disney’s motion is classic Imagineering, inviting the court to make believe that reality is whatever Disney dreams up,” attorneys for the oversight district’s board said in a court filing.