Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is seeking the delay of a Disney trial to after the 2024 presidential elections after the theme park sued the Republican lawmaker in April.
The situation comes as the Florida official is one of the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination alongside other high-profile lawmakers. The trial comes after Disney sued DeSantis over allegations that he retaliated against the company over political stances.
Ron DeSantis Seeks Delay of Disney Trial
Lawyers representing Disney proposed a timeline to start the trial on July 15, 2024, with an estimated duration of 10 days. On the other hand, DeSantis' side requested a trial delay so that it would start on Aug. 4, 2025.
The Florida governor is facing off against former United States President Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination. DeSantis has positioned himself further to the right on various issues, including immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
If the court sides with Disney, the trial would align with the 2024 Republican National Convention, distracting the Florida governor if he gets the nomination, as per HuffPost.
On the other hand, the theme park's lawyers argued in court documents that delaying the trial would only hurt the company's business because the lawsuit was originally meant to address "ongoing retaliation."
Disney has alleged that the Republican governor engaged in actions that were considered "patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional." The situation arose after the company opposed DeSantis's "Don't Say Gay" law.
The measure banned the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation inside classrooms with the youngest students. Furthermore, DeSantis expanded the measure to include older grade levels last month.
On Monday, according to Yahoo Finance, Florida state attorney Ashley Moody argued that the Tallahassee federal court had no jurisdiction over DeSantis and the secretary for the state's Department of Economic Opportunity.
Requesting Legal Immunity
Moody also argued that the Florida governor and the secretary were protected from Disney's claims under the doctrine of legislative immunity. This protects lawmakers from litigation over actions taken within their "sphere of legislative activity."
Furthermore, the U.S. Constitution's 11th Amendment bars federal litigation against the two parties said Moody. That particular amendment generally blocks federal-court suits against a state.
The DeSantis-Disney dispute began roughly one year ago when the theme park opposed Florida's parent rights bill. After initially keeping quiet about the issue, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek 2022 condemned the law at the company's annual shareholder meeting.
In response, The Florida governor signed a law bill allowing him to take control of the company's longstanding special tax district, which was formerly known as Reedy Creek. The state's legislature later passed a series of bills that removed the company's power to self-govern the special tax district, home to its Walt Disney World resort and roughly 25,000 acres surrounding it.
On Monday, DeSantis also asked a federal judge for immunity from the case, meaning that the case will be dropped, and he will be free from any further legal action, liability, or punishment. The Florida governor's attorneys said that the dismissal should be done because "all of Disney's claims fail as a matter of law," said USA Today.
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