In a recent development, two employees have filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company, alleging financial and emotional harm caused by the company’s decision to relocate their jobs from California to Florida and then cancel the project, forcing them to move back. Maria De La Cruz and George Fong, both working in Disney’s product design division, have initiated a class action suit claiming that there are many others in a similar situation.
The move of 2,000 positions from California to Florida was announced by then-CEO Bob Chapek in 2021. However, the project was canceled in May 2023 after CEO Bob Iger returned, following a legal and political dispute with Governor Ron DeSantis. The plaintiffs argue that Disney misrepresented its plans for the project, adversely affecting around 250 employees who had made the move.
De La Cruz and Fong sold their homes in Southern California to relocate to Central Florida, only to face difficulties when the project was scrapped. Fong had to sell his inherited childhood home and struggled to sell his Florida property. The uncertainty of their future in Florida led them to move back to California, where they faced challenges in affording a new home due to rising housing prices.
Attorney Jason Lohr, representing the employees, emphasized their commitment to Disney and their colleagues, stating, “Ms. De La Cruz, Mr. Fong and many others dutifully moved to Florida because they love their jobs, they love the people they work with, and they love Disney.” Disney has not yet responded to the allegations made by the employees.
