A Florida federal judge disqualified Disney from a lawsuit brought against Gov. Ron DeSantis, but earlier accused the governor’s legal team of engaging in “judge shopping.”
In a ruling late Thursday, Chief Judge Mark E. Walker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida said Disney will no longer preside over the lawsuit filed last month. Disney accused DeSantis and the board that oversees government services at Disney World of being involved in a “campaign aimed at government retaliation.”
The case was reassigned to Judge Allen C. Windsor, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019.
Lawyers for DeSantis sought disqualification last year from President Barack Obama-appointed Judge Walker after he twice referred to DeSantis’ conduct against Disney in unrelated trials. Lawyers argued that Judge Walker’s brief remarks in asking hypothetical questions “could reasonably be understood to reflect the court’s prejudice to Disney’s retaliation theory here, and therefore the court’s It raises serious doubts about fairness.”
Disney Lawyer opposed A demand for disqualification – and Judge Walker agreed to it. He ruled that the quoted remarks “cannot raise serious doubts about my impartiality in the minds of the well-informed and indifferent public.”
But Judge Walker surprisingly recanted, saying he learned last week that a relative owned 30 shares of Disney stock.
In his ruling, he said he had no choice but to step down because the lawsuit could affect the “financial interests” of his relatives. “The size and amount of financial gain for third-degree relatives is irrelevant,” he wrote.
Disney declined to comment.
In related news Thursday, DeSantis was appointed Charvel Barakat, a Tampa attorney, and Jeopardy! to fill a vacancy on the five-member board of directors that oversees Disney World’s government services and is at the center of the strife between the governor and the company. Barakat stepped down from the board last week without giving a reason, and the next day his wife Meredith Sasso will succeed Michael A. Sasso, who was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court.
DeSantis and Disney have been sparring for special tax districts, including Disney World, since March 2022. The fight comes after the company criticized a Florida education law that opponents labeled “don’t say you’re gay” for limiting classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. Began. Disney’s criticism enraged Mr. DeSantis, who repeatedly vowed revenge.
Since then, at the request of Mr. DeSantis, the Florida legislature has targeted Disney, the state’s largest taxpayer, through a variety of hostile means. In February, the government gave Mr. DeSantis control over government services at Disney World, ending the company’s ability to administer the 25,000-acre resort like a county.
Board members appointed by Mr. DeSantis quickly discovered that a previous board, controlled by Disney, had approved a deal that would lock in the resort’s growth plans. Efforts to void those agreements erupted into a one-on-one lawsuit, with Disney suing Mr. DeSantis and his allies in federal court, and the governor’s tax district appointees fighting back in state court. .
