XPost: alt.politics.homosexuality, fl.politics, misc.legal   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: fuckyou@disney.com   
      
   ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for the Walt Disney World governing   
   district taken over last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis' allies don't want the   
   governor's appointees answering questions under oath as part of its state   
   lawsuit against Disney.   
      
   District attorneys on Monday filed a motion for a protective order that   
   would stop the DeSantis-appointed board members of the Central Florida   
   Tourism Oversight District from having to give videotaped depositions to   
   Disney attorneys.   
      
   Disney and the DeSantis appointees are fighting in state court over who   
   controls the governing district for Disney World. The district had been   
   controlled by Disney supporters before last year's takeover — which was   
   sparked by the company's opposition to Florida's so-called “Don't Say Gay”   
   law. It provides municipal services such as firefighting, planning and   
   mosquito control, among other things, and was controlled by Disney   
   supporters for most of its five decades.   
      
   District attorneys cite the “apex doctrine,” which generally provides that   
   high-level government officers shouldn't be subject to depositions unless   
   opposing parties have exhausted all other means of obtaining information.   
   The doctrine is used in just a handful of U.S. states, including Florida.   
      
   “Disney cannot demonstrate that the individual board members have unique,   
   personal knowledge that would be relevant to any of the claims,   
   counterclaims or defenses in this action to overcome the apex doctrine,”   
   district attorneys said in their motion. “Disney's assault-style effort to   
   depose all the board members is simply an improper form of harassment of   
   these high-level government officials.”   
      
   The motion includes statements from the board members who claim that being   
   forced to give depositions would “impede” their ability to fulfill their   
   duties and divert resources and attention away from overseeing the   
   district.   
      
   Earlier this month, Disney gave notice of its intention to question under   
   oath six current and past DeSantis-appointed board members for the purpose   
   of “discovery,” or the process of gathering information for the case. The   
   entertainment giant has said previously that the district has stymied its   
   efforts to get documents and other information, and Disney filed a public   
   records lawsuit against the district earlier this year, claiming the   
   district's response to its requests were “unreasonably delayed” and   
   “woefully inadequate.”   
      
   Since the takeover last year, the district has faced an exodus of   
   experienced staffers, with many in exit surveys complaining that the   
   governing body has been politicized since the changeover. Just this month,   
   the district's administrator left to become a county elections supervisor   
   at half the $400,000 salary he was earning at the district, and the   
   district's DeSantis-appointed board chairman departed the following week.   
      
   A fight between DeSantis and Disney began in 2022 after the company,   
   facing significant internal and external pressure, publicly opposed a   
   state law that critics have called “Don’t Say Gay.” The 2022 law bans   
   classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early   
   grades and was championed by DeSantis, who used Disney as a punching bag   
   in speeches until he suspended his presidential campaign this year.   
      
   As punishment, DeSantis took over the district through legislation passed   
   by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and appointed a new board   
   of supervisors.   
      
   Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees, claiming the company’s free   
   speech rights were violated for speaking out against the legislation. A   
   federal judge dismissed that lawsuit in January. Disney has appealed.   
      
   Before control of the district changed hands from Disney allies to   
   DeSantis appointees early last year, the Disney supporters on its board   
   signed agreements with Disney shifting control over design and   
   construction at Disney World to the company. The new DeSantis appointees   
   claimed the “eleventh-hour deals” neutered their powers, and the district   
   sued the company in state court in Orlando to have the contracts voided.   
      
   Disney has filed counterclaims that include asking the state court to   
   declare the agreements valid and enforceable.   
      
   https://www.yahoo.com/news/attorneys-try-stop-desantis-appointees-   
   143001153.html   
      
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