Disney drops arbitration bid in allergy death after backlash

In response to a significant internet criticism, The Walt Disney Co. has withdrawn a contentious motion that sought to have a wrongful death case dismissed from court.

Following a woman’s death in a Disney retail center in Orlando, Florida, due to an allergic reaction, the firm is being sued.

Disney+, the company’s streaming service, offered a month-long trial membership in 2019, which the plaintiff, the woman’s husband, had signed up for, the entertainment giant claimed, committing him to an arbitration process instead of going to court to settle all legal disputes.

However, the company’s attorneys filed a notice with the court on Tuesday to withdraw the initial motion in response to public criticism of the action.

The lawsuit centers on the death of New York doctor Kanokporn Tangsuan, who died on October 5, 2023, while dining at the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant with her mother and husband.

The reason they had picked that particular place was because the restaurant and Disney had both marketed it as being very allergy-friendly.

Even yet, Tangsuan sought reassurances from the wait staff before succumbing to anaphylaxis due to high levels of dairy and nuts in her system.

In its response to Disney’s argument that the plaintiff was bound to arbitration, lawyers for Tangsuan’s husband said it was “absurd” to say that the company’s 150 million subscribers had waived their rights to sue the company over conditions written in the fine print of unrelated agreements signed years beforehand.

This article has been posted by a News Hour Correspondent. For queries, please contact through [email protected]
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