This morning, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor heard arguments from lawyers representing Disney, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and DeSantis' Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board.
DeSantis and CFTOD have filed a motion to dismiss Disney's federal lawsuit, in which the entertainment giant claims that there has been "A targeted campaign of government retaliation-orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney's protected speech now threatens Disney's business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights."
Lawyers for DeSantis and CFTOD have argued that it doesn't matter if the governor's actions were in retaliation, with Disney layers taking the opposite position.
Judge Winsor said today that he will issue a ruling in the coming weeks.
Disney CEO Bob Iger recently commented on the situation in Florida, outlining his views. He said, "The company, while I was gone, decided to take a position against the Don't Say Gay bill that was moving through the Florida Legislature. I won't comment about what I would have done or not done, but the company took that position against it. The governor got very, very angry at the company when it took that position and decided to punish the company by basically stripping its rights to a special district around Disney World that had been in place for decades. The question wasn't even about the bill. It was about does a company have a right to free speech. And if it exercises its right to free speech, it should not face retribution."
Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox