Disney Pushes Back Against Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Disney+ Criticism

Disney is standing by its controversial defense against a wrongful death lawsuit levied against the company.

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Jeffrey Piccolo sued The Walt Disney Company as well as Raglan Road Pub and Irish Restaurant after his wife died from severe food allergies. The incident occurred last year, with Piccolo and Disney entering the spotlight due to the company’s rather controversial response to the lawsuit, claiming Piccolo’s Disney+ account bars him from pursuing a court settlement.

Disney is arguing that Piccolo’s wrongful death lawsuit should be halted and sent to arbitration instead because Piccolo signed up for Disney+ as well as an account for the My Disney Experience theme park app.

According to the terms of service for these two applications, Disney says users agree to cases being moved to arbitration, potentially keeping Piccolo from being granted a full jury trial.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Disney

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Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan was visiting the Walt Disney World Resort with her spouse, Jeffrey Piccolo, and mother-in-law, Jackie Piccolo. The group arrived at Raglan Road Irish Pub, one of many restaurants featured at Disney Springs, Disney’s outdoor shopping and entertainment district.

Dr. Tangsuan passed away shortly after their meal due to an allergic reaction despite reportedly taking precautions to avoid specific allergens in her food. Regarding Dr. Tangsuan’s death, The New York Times reports:

“An autopsy by the District 9 medical examiner’s office in Orlando, Fla., determined that the cause of death was anaphylaxis, or a severe allergic reaction. The autopsy report notes Dr. Tangsuan’s reported history of allergies to dairy products and peanuts and said that she had used an EpiPen before becoming unresponsive. The manner of death was accidental, the report says.”

Jeffrey Piccolo is now suing Raglan Road and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for damages of approximately $50,000. While Raglan Road is not officially owned and operated by Disney, Piccolo claims that Disney has “control and/or right of control” over the restaurant and its allergy protocols.

Disney’s Response to Lawsuit

Credit: Disney

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In response, The Walt Disney Company claims Piccolo has no right to a standard judicial process and must go through with arbitration due to his signing up for Disney+. This stance has garnered a significant and overwhelming negative reaction within the Disney theme park community and online internet spaces like TikTok and Twitter/X.

Disney has since defended its position after this backlash, per Florida Politics.

“We are deeply saddened by the family’s loss and understand their grief,” Disney said in a new statement Wednesday. “Given that this restaurant is neither owned nor operated by Disney, we are merely defending ourselves against the plaintiff’s attorney’s attempt to include us in their lawsuit against the restaurant.”

Disney attorneys stated further litigation “would only generate needless expenses and waste judicial resources.”

Piccolo’s attorney, Brian Denney, called Disney’s argument “preposterous.”

A hearing for the case is scheduled in Orange Circut Court on October 2.

Stay tuned here at Inside the Magic for all Disney news updates.