Woman Sues Disney World After Being Arrested at Magic Kingdom for Intoxicated Disturbance
A woman who was arrested at Magic Kingdom Park last year has filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney World Resort and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, claiming that security cast members and law enforcement officers ignored her medical emergency during their encounter.
Incident on April 11, 2025
On April 11, 2025, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to the bus loop at Magic Kingdom Park for a reported disturbance. There, they found Halen Holton from Missouri engaged in a heated argument with a Walt Disney World Resort security manager.
Disney security cast members claimed that an intoxicated Holton was screaming and causing a disturbance in a public area. They issued a trespass notice (a.k.a. a ban), but Holton reportedly refused to leave the property. She tensed and pulled away as Orange County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to detain her, resisting arrest.
According to law enforcement documents, Holton was charged with trespass after warning, disorderly intoxication, and resisting an officer without violence. She was taken to jail for booking, where authorities described her as “uncooperative.”
Lawsuit Against Disney World & the Orange County Sheriff’s Office
In a lawsuit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Holton claims she was experiencing a medical emergency and repeatedly asked cast members to call 911. She said she “began experiencing confusion, weakness, and overheating,” but Disney cast members and Orange County Sheriff’s deputies refused to request medical attention on her behalf. They reportedly refused to let her leave and seek treatment on her own.
“I knew my body was shutting down,” Holton wrote.
Holton claimed that deputies used force while arresting her, including pulling her hair. She said she was placed in a “hot patrol vehicle while in medical distress.” After arriving at the jail, Holton claimed she was “denied water and medical attention,” and “believed she might die.” She also claimed use of force by correctional staff and being held without appropriate clothing or access to basic needs.
The filing also claims that several Walt Disney World Resort cast members mocked or minimized Holton’s condition. “I have to finish my shift,” one bus driver reportedly told her.
After being released from jail, Holton sought treatment at Daytona Advent Hospital, but did not say whether medical professionals diagnosed her with any conditions. She did claim that she has had to seek “a specialized therapist and psychiatrist along with treating the physical damage done to [her] body.”
The lawsuit seeks $50,000 in damages per count, in addition to potential punitive damages.
Neither Walt Disney World Resort nor the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has responded to the filing.
Read the entire lawsuit affidavit below.
AffidavitHoltonIn the comments, Disney Dining would love to hear your thoughts on this lawsuit against Walt Disney World Resort and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
