The legal fights between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis ratcheted up this week.
The Florida governor asked that the company's First Amendment lawsuit against him be tossed from federal court, and Disney demanded emails, texts and other communications from the governor's office in a separate state court lawsuit originally brought by DeSantis appointees of Walt Disney World's governing district.
The legal filings marked an escalation in the battle between the entertainment giant and DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The confrontation started last year when Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, and DeSantis retaliated by taking over the governing district that provides municipal services for the 25,000-acre (10,117-hectare) Disney World theme park resort in Florida.
Disney has sued DeSantis in federal court, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law.
On Thursday, DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the governing district made up of DeSantis appointees, asked a federal judge to throw out Disney's First Amendment lawsuit, calling it meritless and "a last-ditch effort to reinstate its corporate kingdom."
"Although Disney has grabbed headlines by suing the Governor, Disney -- like many litigants before it who have challenged Florida's laws -- has no basis for doing so," DeSantis' motion said.
Meanwhile, the governing district now controlled by DeSantis appointees has sued Disney in state court. The suit is an attempt to void prior agreements, made before the DeSantis appointees took over, that shifted control over design and construction to Disney from the district and prohibited the district from using the likeness of Disney characters or other intellectual property without Disney's permission. Disney filed counterclaims that include asking a state court to declare the agreements valid and enforceable. The company amended those counterclaims on Thursday, saying the DeSantis-controlled district was in violation of the U.S. Constitution stipulations on contracts and due process.
Disney also sent a notice to DeSantis' office demanding internal communications, including text messages and emails, and documents regarding the district's comprehensive plan, the development agreements and the legislation that shifted control of the district to DeSantis. The notice said a subpoena would be issued requiring the governor's office to turn over the materials to Disney's attorneys by Oct. 27.
The Disney attorneys also sent notices of subpoenas to others, including similar special districts in Florida. Disney wants to show that the manner in which it gave public notice about the agreements which stripped the DeSantis allies of design and construction powers was consistent with what other districts do. The DeSantis allies are arguing that one of the reasons the agreements should be invalidated is they weren't properly publicized.
This week, Avery Haines follows migrants' harrowing journeys across the Darien Gap. Strict new rules to stem the flood of migrants through the notorious stretch of dense jungle appear to be working, but advocates fear it could backfire.
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British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.
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The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday's arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
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Canadian innovators and technical leaders gathered in Ottawa Thursday to demonstrate the latest cutting-edge technology.
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While libraries might be stereotyped by some as boring or outdated, they’ve become popular digital destinations for young viewers on TikTok.
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Matt Perrault has shipped animals in and out of Canada on behalf of owners for more than two decades, handling creatures ranging from birds to bearded dragons, rabbits and ferrets.
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A crash between a car and motorcycle closed a portion of Oxford St. in downtown London for several hours on Sunday.
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The BSI aims to elevate Black academic excellence, promoting scholarship, mentorship, and cultural knowledge.
Bullet casings recovered from the scene of a B.C. woman’s murder 30 years ago will be retested for DNA after the province’s highest court ruled it is “in the interests of justice†to do so in support of an ongoing appeal.
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Overnight on Thursday as the community of Elliot Lake was resting to prepare for the upcoming Kraft Hockeyville celebrations, when vandals struck a building that has been top of mind for the northern Ontario city for more than a year.
Ontario Provincial Police remind the public that ‘a case is never closed until it is solved,’ while highlighting the force's continued investigation of the 1996 disappearance of Melanie Ethier.
Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
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