A New Disney Lawsuit

[TinkerbellT421]

**If true**, sounds like a classic case of "go away" money - in that it would cost Disney more than $8 grand to assemble their defense in a legal dispute. Here. Have 8 grand and go away.

this.

[Main Street Jim]

As a long-time former Cast Member, I can tell you that, yes, there *are* procedures in place for evacuating guests with disabilities, depending on the situation of the attraction.

In the case of a non-emergency type situation, such as a "simple" ride breakdown, guests with disabilities (and their parties) are usually the last ones to be evacuated if they need assistance such as a wheelchair. In a "single-level" attraction like it's a small world, 40 minutes is pretty quick to wait to be evacuated. The Cast would evacuate the "non-disabled" guests first, if indeed there is a guest that needs assistance. They would have to call Reedy Creek (at Walt Disney World) if needed; if they're NOT needed, they still need to wait until the other guests are out of the way before trying to get a wheelchair to the disabled guest.

In multi-level attractions such as Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc., it's a little more complicated, and the wait to be evacuated can be much longer.

[roses]

I guess I was brought up not to sue, but I wasn't there to know the entire situation either...

[JRocker]

I tend to be a bit cynical when it comes to matters such as this.

If there is an issue with ADA compliance, then oftentimes a lawsuit is the best avenue to force a company to do what is right. In cases like that, I tend to agree with suit.

However...

If it is true this individual settled out of court, then he was not looking to improve the situation. He was torqued because he got stuck with Disney's most infectious song and he saw an opportunity to make money.

I have no use for people like that.

[Tekneek]

If it is true this individual settled out of court, then he was not looking to improve the situation. He was torqued because he got stuck with Disney's most infectious song and he saw an opportunity to make money.

I don't know the circumstances around this particular lawsuit, or others like it. However, I have been in a position where I was wronged and had to decide if I wanted to take a settlement offer, or proceed to court. Taking the settlement offer felt like losing, but the whole point was to cover my medical bills and lost earnings. The settlement was sufficient for that. I didn't have the extra money to risk more expenses taking it to trial when there was no guarantee of a larger award (or even the same) coming out of it (besides, I wasn't trying to "get rich" anyway). It's too bad that insurance company didn't just step up to pay my bills/lost wages directly and prevent an attorney skimming off the top (but they refused - and in the end it cost them more).

I have seen this quote in the news stories: "Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the Anaheim theme park believes it provided appropriate assistance during the incident, and is disappointed that the court did not fully agree."

The lawyer has said that half of the award was for pain and suffering and the other half was for disability violations. Suzi Brown says the violation has been addressed.

Unfortunately, I cannot include the link to the news story. While it doesn't sound like a big award, it sounds like Disneyland admits a violation occurred and has addressed it.

[TheTexasKid]

**If true**, sounds like a classic case of "go away" money - in that it would cost Disney more than $8 grand to assemble their defense in a legal dispute. Here. Have 8 grand and go away.

If they did settle, and I have been reminded on another board, that Disney will settle, if they feel if they are in the wrong, it might cost only $8000 to settle this time. But, what about next time? And the time after that? Will they settle just to have the case go away, and with that attitude, how many more people will sue? I can imagine that Disney management feels that in the long run, it is actually cheaper to take most suits to court, then it is to settle for a few dollars in the hope that the suit will just go away.

I would also like to know, who came up with that figure of $8000 and why that amount. As it is an odd dollar amount, and I doubt that low of a sum would even begin to cover the costs of the defendant's lawyer. Not when I've seen defense lawyers who wanted $10 to $20 thousand right off the bat, even before they begin to take the case.

[mrte62]

You would be shocked at the number of claims and the types filed at WDW. Every year.

[DisneyDawgette]

*sighs* If only the media told us the whole truth...

Personally, I cannot vouch for either side here. $8,000 does seem a little low for someone who was so distraught, but if Disney acknowledged a mistake, then I'm glad it was dealt with efficiently. Big law suits? Ain't nobody got time for that.

[Katzateer]

Just wondering how would he know his BP spiked? I geuss he had a monitor with him.

Believe me, you can tell if your BP spikes without a monitor. As a person on meds and high BP you can hear and feel it.

I am not sure I would agree with being stuck on Small World being that stressful ( annoying maybe). Sounds like someone looking for something to file a lawsuit. No injury, just being stuck longer than other riders being helped off - with CM doing the best they can, with no danger to anyone.

I have been stuck on Spaceship Earth in the backwards position for over 10 minutes and that was uncomfortable but was in no danger. The risk you take with any ride - can get stuck at anytime so only chose rides you feel comfortable getting on. No one makes you get on the ride and breakdowns happen. I think Disney does a good job making the rides safe and keeps standards.