Disney Amenable To Let Court Decide On Florida Wrongful Death Suit

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to let a court decide a lawsuit filed by a widower for the "wrongful death" of his wife. Earlier, the company has tried to bring the case to arbitration because the man actually signed up for a trial of the Disney+ streaming service in 2019.

According to Reuters, the suit was filed by the woman's husband. The deceased wife suffered from an allergic reaction the previous year while dining at one of the restaurants located in Disney Springs shopping complex.

The chairman of Disney Experiences, Josh D'Amaro, told Reuters in an email that they believe that the situation requires a "sensitive approach."

"We believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss," Amaro said.

He further said that because of this, the company is waiving its right to arbitration and have decided to bring the matter to court, CNN reported.

On Oct. 5, 2023, the family of Jeffrey Piccolo ate at the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. According to reports, the family specifically chose the restaurant due to its advertisement of serving people with food restrictions due to allergies.

It is alleged that there was an assurance from the waiter that the order of Piccolo's wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, was allergen-free. However, despite the alleged assurance, she died of anaphylaxis resulting from an allergic reaction. The complaint stated that higher levels of nut and dairy were found to be in her system.

Disney's initial response was to argue that it has no control over the operations of the restaurant, rendering it not liable for the death of Piccolo's wife. It emphasized that its role was merely that of a landlord.

In its second filing, the company said that the complaint was subject to arbitration. It anchored its argument on the Disney+ subscription made by Piccolo, as well as the latter's use of the Disney website to purchase theme park tickets. Now, the company is willing to bring the matters to court and let it decide the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Piccolo.