ORLANDO, Fla. – Disney has announced that it’s waiving its arbitration in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the husband of a doctor who died following a meal at an Irish restaurant at Disney Springs.
The incident occurred in October 2023, when the doctor — Kanokporn Tangsuan, 42 — along with her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, and her mother-in-law ate at Raglan Road in the Disney Springs shopping center.
Nearly one year after that incident, Disney’s lawyers requested to have the lawsuit dismissed and settled out of court, citing the widower’s Disney+ subscription.
On Tuesday, News 6 received the following statement from Disney.
“At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations. With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss. As such, we’ve decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court.”
Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences
According to the records, Piccolo reportedly agreed to arbitrate any dispute against Disney when he signed up for a free trial of Disney+ on his PlayStation in 2019. The arbitration agreement was listed in the terms and conditions of his Disney+ trial.
Piccolo’s attorneys responded to Disney’s motion, calling the argument “fatally flawed.” He is seeking well over $50,000 in damages accusing both businesses of negligence in his wife’s death.
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At the time of Tangsuan’s death, she and her husband told the waiter that she had a severe allergy to dairy and nuts, and the staff reassured them that their food could be made without the allergens, a complaint shows.
About 45 minutes following the meal, she suffered a severe allergic reaction to the food while entering the nearby Planet Hollywood, the complaint explains. She was taken to a hospital, but she ultimately died.
Disney’s motion to toss out the lawsuit has sparked a warning to read the fine print when signing up for a streaming service, without understanding the terms of what is being agreed upon.
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