DeSantis claims immunity from Disney lawsuit, seeks dismissal

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from Disney, asserting that he and Secretary of State Meredith Ivey are immune to the suit.

Disney announced the suit in April, accusing the governor of waging a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" over the company's opposition to the Sunshine State's Parental Rights in Education law.

"The Court lacks jurisdiction over at least two defendants—the Governor and the Secretary—who are also immune from suit," the state argued. "Although Disney has grabbed headlines by suing the Governor, Disney—like many litigants before it who have challenged Florida’s laws—has no basis for doing so."

The filing also termed the state's original 1967 agreement with Disney over its role in the Reedy Creek Improvement District a "sweetheart deal" and deemed the company's control of the board as "corporate capture."

Prior to the dissolution of the RCID, Disney reached agreements with the board to grant the company much of its official powers, the state contended, saying "[i]n the waning days of its corporate kingdom, Disney rushed through a series of collusive agreements between itself and its puppet RCID board. The agreements purported to bequeath to Disney much of the power that the State itself had given RCID."

The state's reorganized board refused to honor those agreements, citing state law. Florida deemed the Disney effort a "last-ditch power grab" and contended that the suit was "meritless."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.