Tens of millions of visitors head to Disney’s theme parks every single year. Although the parks’ operations typically run very smoothly, occasionally things will go wrong. And, inevitably, sometimes guests affected by mishaps will throw a lawsuit at the company. Some of these have real merit, and there have been some large payouts as a result. Others, though, are bordering on the ridiculous.
The most serious lawsuits again Disney generally attract extensive media coverage – and, frankly, are not something we’d cover on fun-loving Theme Park Tourist. However, after stumbling across an amusing story about one frivolous lawsuit, we thought it would be fun to hunt around a for a few others and share them with our readers.
Here’s a look at 10 of the most amusing lawsuits brought against Disney by theme park visitors over the last few decades.
10. The Three Naughty Pigs
Disney’s loveable characters would certainly never harm or assault a guest…would they? Well, one woman claimed otherwise in 1976. The woman, who weighed some 240 pounds, alleged that one of the Three Little Pigs had run up to her, grabbed her chest and begun shouting “Mommy! Mommy!”.
Unfortunately for the allegedly distressed guest, her case didn’t progress far. Disney quickly pointed out that the Three Little Pigs are unable to move their arms.
9. Feeling dizzy
David Koenig’s excellent book Mouse Tales documents a huge number of lawsuits against Disneyland. One of these demonstrates the importance of Disney’s nurses taking extensive notes after any incident, no matter how small. One guest claimed to have been made to feel dizzy by Disneyland’s former Circarama theater, causing her to fall over a railing and strike her head. Similar theaters are still in place at Epcot’s China and Canada pavilions.
Unfortunately for the guest, the nurse that she saw afterwards noted that the guest had said she had tripped over the railing trying to take a “shortcut”. Oops.
8. The Tower of Terror fan
In 2009, Disney was sued by Denise Mooty, a lady who rode the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror over 50 times a day. Every day. Mooty suffered from abdominal adhesions, and claimed that the frequent drops on the ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios helped to ease the pain.
Mooty was able to acquire a Guest Assistance Card, allowing her to cut to the front of the line. Eventually, a new manager instigated a limit on the number of rides she could take per day. Allegedly, she became angry at this, and was banned from the parks for abusing Cast Members – although she denied this.
7. The falling “brick”
Any self-respecting Disney fan will know that Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom is not, in fact, made of stone. Instead, its shell is made of fiberglass. Evidently, one woman was unaware of this – she sued Disney claiming that a brick had fallen from the structure and struck her on the head.
Note: this one may be an urban legend. I’m yet to find a news story that verifies it – let me know if you do.
6. It’s a Small World after all
The cheesy music from It’s a Small World is legendary – and, indeed, many people would rather do almost anything other than listen to it on a permanent loop. Jose Martinez successfully sued Disney, winning $8000, after he was left trapped in one of the ride’s boats for 40 minutes. The ride had broken down, and Cast Members were unable to remove Martinez (who is confined to a wheelchair) from the boat – with the judge ruling that inadequate assistance had been provided.
5. The lion
In a truly unusual incident, an African lion escaped from a backyard cage and killed the next door neighbour. Who was to blame? The family of the victim alleged that it was Disneyland, who had failed to track down the owner (who was visiting the park that day) in time. They were not successful in court.
4. Segways
The case brought by several disabled visitors against Disney for refusing to allow entry to its parks when riding Segways (as mobility vehicles) is not unusual in itself. What makes the case stand out, though, is one of the statements that Disney used to (successfully) defend itself. The company pointed out that the owner of Segway Inc., Jimi Heselden, had died in 2010 after falling off a cliff while riding a Segway.
3. The Hydrolator
The Hydrolators, once a key part of the The Seas pavilion at Epcot, were the subject of one mythical lawsuit that may never have actually happened. Disney tour guides have told tales of a case brought by a woman who suffered from “the bends” after descending into the depths of the sea in one of the Hydrolators. There was one problem, however – the Hydrolators didn’t actually go anywhere. They simply vibrated a bit to give guests the impression that they were headed to the bottom of the sea.
An investigation by Yesterland, however, suggests that this may be an urban legend.
2. The headless characters
Any Disney fan knows that the characters that wander through the parks are real. But that hasn’t stopped a number of lawsuits mentioning children witnessing “headless” characters backstage, causing severe distress.
The reality of these cases is a little less bizarre. In fact, two lawsuits have cited headless characters, but there were many other factors involved too. One case involved security staff falsely accusing a family of shoplifting, and dragging them backstage. Another saw a former Mouseketeer brought backstage after being held up at gunpoint in Disneyland’s parking lot. Both distressing events, regardless of the presence of beheaded characters.
1. Pooh and Tigger
Both Winnie the Pooh and his friend Tigger have been accused of assaulting guests. In 1981, Pooh was accused of beating a nine-year-old girl by repeatedly slapping her in the face, but Disney was able to prove that his range of movement would have made this impossible. 23 years later, Tigger faced criminal charges, being acquitted of molesting guests after the character himself appeared in court to demonstrate how difficult maneuvering was.
