Disney has now agreed to have a wrongful death lawsuit decided in court following backlash it received for initially arguing that the case belonged in arbitration because the grieving widower had once signed up for a Disney Plus trial.
“With such unique circumstances as this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who has experienced such a painful loss,” Disney Experiences President Josh D'Amaro said in a statement to The edge“We have therefore decided to waive our right to arbitration and take the matter to court.”
He The lawsuit was filed in February. by Jeffrey Piccolo, the husband of a 42-year-old woman who died last year from an allergic reaction that occurred after eating at a restaurant at the Disney Springs shopping complex in Orlando. The case gained widespread media attention after Piccolo's legal team challenged Disney's motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the forced arbitration agreement Piccolo signed was effectively invisible.
As he pointed out ReutersDisney initially did not mention arbitration when it first addressed the case in April, arguing instead that it was not liable because it merely acts as the owner of the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant and had no control over the restaurant's operations. Disney then It was later argued in a presentation in May. that Piccolo had allegedly reached an agreement to arbitrate all disputes with the company by signing up for a Disney Plus trial in 2019 and using the Walt Disney Parks website to purchase Epcot Center tickets.
