Cast Member Sues Disney for Wrongful Termination Involving a Racial Slur

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts was sued in Florida Middle District Court on Tuesday by a Disney World Cast Member who says she was accused of using a racial slur and then wrongfully terminated by the company.

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Florida Middle District Court Building

Attorney group Jundi Legal filed suit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts US, Inc., on Tuesday, November 29, on behalf of ex-Cast Member Virgen Diaz-Ross. According to the complaint, Diaz-Ross claims she was wrongfully terminated after she was thought to have used a racial slur.

Diaz-Ross says she was telling a colleague about an incident involving her son, who had used the “n” word. The plaintiff claims she was in a conversation with a fellow Cast Member, sharing with her colleague that she had to admonish her son for using the slur. Diaz-Ross further claims that another coworker overheard her conversation with her colleague and reported the exchange, telling a supervisor that Diaz-Ross had used the slur herself.

Credit: ITM

As the Civil Rights Employment Discrimination lawsuit (Case #6:22-cv-02211, Diaz-Rios v. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts US., Inc.) was just filed a few days ago, counsel has yet to appear for the defendant at this time.

This isn’t the first example of a suit filed against Disney Parks in response to an alleged wrongful termination. In February 2021, a “Festival of Holidays” performer at Disneyland Resort named Shadea Curry Bahar sued Disney, alleging she was terminated because she became pregnant. She further alleged sex and disability discrimination, failure to investigate discrimination claims, and aiding and abetting discriminatory employment.

And on June 30 of this year, Barbara Andreas, Stephen J. Cribb, and Adam Pajer, all Cast Members, filed suit against Disney Parks, alleging they were denied religious exemption from wearing face masks and obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine.

Credit: NPR

According to the complaint filed in the Ninth Judicial Court in Osceola County, the “Plaintiffs each objected respectfully and consistently to Disney’s unlawful discrimination against them,” but “Disney failed to remediate its actions contrary to law.” The complaint went on to allege that “instead, Disney suspended and terminated Plaintiffs for ‘Speaking Up’ in accordance with law and Disney’s own company policy.”