A state judge has ruled against Disney’s attempt to get a lawsuit dismissed or paused as a federal lawsuit proceeds.

The case in question is the state-level case where the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District was suing Disney, asking a judge to rule that a Development Agreement was void and unenforceable. Disney argued that the lawsuit was moot because a state law already established that the Development Agreement was void. Disney asked the judge to dismiss the case, or, at least, pause the case until a federal lawsuit has concluded.

In a ruling this afternoon, Judge Margaret H Schreiber ruled against Disney and said that the case could move forward. According to a report from Reuters, a Disney spokesperson said that today’s decision “has no bearing” on the federal lawsuit. “We are fully confident Disney will prevail in both the federal and state cases,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Judge Schreiber essentially said that the argument of whether or not the Development Contract and Restrictive Covenant (agreements) are valid is an active issue. In the federal case, Judge Schreiber notes that four of the five arguments Disney presents contend that the agreements are valid despite arguing that SB1604 has rendered the contracts void in the state Motion to Dismiss. Therefore, Judge Schreiber says it is important to rule on the validity of the agreements.

Judge Schreiber seemed to be quite sympathetic to the CFTOD argument, saying that the validity of the agreements contradict the Legislature’s policies toward the District “and, if valid, would permit Disney to control all development rights and land use regulations in one of the most heavily visited areas in Central Florida. These issues implicate matters of the State’s sovereignty and are of great interest to its economy and citizenry”.

Judge Schreiber only ruled on the Motion to Dismiss filed by Disney and did not offer a ruling in terms of the actual argument of the lawsuit. A timeline for the case was not immediately available.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!