As Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company continue their bitter feud, the Florida governor’s attorneys have made a bold move by trying to goad the entertainment giant into giving up on its lawsuit against DeSantis.
The lawsuit alleges that DeSantis retaliated against the House of Mouse for its opposition to his controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law. The governor has used the full power of the state to go after the special district where Disneyworld Resort resides, and the entertainment giant has argued that the legislative moves are a violation of its first amendment rights. It also hasn’t helped DeSantis’ case that he and state Republicans have publicly stated their intentions to punish Disney for going “woke.”
However, DeSantis’ attorneys have repeatedly argued that he has “absolute legislative immunity,” and that was once again the lynchpin of their recent motion.
“The Governor welcomes Disney’s surrender on all of its claims challenging his legislative acts,” DeSantis legal team wrote, according to CNBC:
The state’s attorneys claimed that Disney, in a filing last month, effectively conceded that much of its initial complaint amounted to little more than “a glorified press release.” That’s because Disney “now claims that it is challenging only the Governor’s executive actions,” not his legislative actions, the attorneys for DeSantis argued.
Disney, however, has argued in court filings that DeSantis is not as immune as he thinks he is.
“Because this suit seeks to enjoin the Governor from performing executive acts, legislative immunity does not protect him from suit,” Disney wrote.
DeSantis’ legal team has also previously argued that Disney has failed “to state a claim on which relief can be granted,” which is not true. The Disney lawsuit essentially seeks to restore the “status quo” that existed before DeSantis and state Republicans start ripping up decades-old agreements in their “anti-woke” crusade.
(Via CNBC)