According to a report from the LA Times, Disney employees have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the company for the canceled relocation to a Lake Nona headquarters for the Parks & Resorts division.
First announced in July 2021, the relocation would’ve sent roughly 2,000 Disney employees from California to Lake Nona, Florida, some 25 minutes from Walt Disney World. Among the job titles that would’ve moved to Florida would’ve been Disney’s famed Walt Disney Imagineering group. A small segment of employees planned to stay back in California to support Disneyland Resort and international Disney Parks operations, but the vast majority of the creative group will be asked to move.
The move was reportedly in the works since 2019, but was officially canceled in May 2023. At the time, Disney was in a tense battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had just taken control of the local taxing district that oversaw Walt Disney World. Simply put, DeSantis had created a hostile environment, and Disney canceled a reported $1 billion investment for the headquarters relocation project.
In a May 2023 note to Cast Members, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro acknowledged that the move had been “difficult” for some employees. D’Amaro noted that “considerable changes” had occurred since the project was announced, including new leadership and “changing business conditions”.
The site plan, which can be seen below, called for 6 office buildings, two flex space buildings, and a central plant totaling over 1.8 million square feet of space.
The campus would’ve been utilized by the Disney Experiences division of The Walt Disney Company. The move was previously delayed from a 2023 move-in date all the way to 2026. Disney has until 2028 to develop the property.
Now, employees are suing and seeking class-action status. According to the report, the plaintiffs are alleging that they were fraudulently induced to relocate to Florida by being led to believe that they would lose their jobs if they didn’t move. The lawsuit claims that Disney told employees that they would have 90 days to “consider and make the decision that’s best for them” with regard to the relocation.
Disney acknowledged that some employees had already made the move before the project was canceled and that they would work with employees on an individual basis. The lawsuit says that the compensation offered by Disney was inadequate.
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