Last year, when the Walt Disney Company became embroiled in its battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the company commissioned a report to remind Central Florida how valuable Walt Disney World was to the state. The study estimated that Disney World’s value to the state was $40.3 billion in 2022, a huge amount for the state.
Of course, Disney commissioned that study, to make Disney World look its best. However, an important part of that study showed the extent to which Disney World cooperated with small businesses in Central Florida. According to Disney estimates, it worked with more than 2,500 small businesses in the area.
Now, a small business in Central Florida is suing the Walt Disney Company over a 2019 dispute related to renovations of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. Validus Construction Company of Winter Haven, Florida, was hired to renovate the bathrooms at the Disney Vacation Club Resort.
The original contract called for Validus to renovate the bathrooms in 1,260 rooms at the Saratoga Springs Resort for $48 million. The construction company alleges that fire code violations and major changes to Disney’s scope of work caused significant delays to the project.
Disney fired the company and hired one of Validus’ subcontractors to finish the job. Validus later sued Disney World, alleging breach of contract. In its lawsuit, the company claimed that Disney turned the project into a “dysfunctional mess” and asked it to do work they were not willing to pay for.
After Validus Construction Services sued the Walt Disney Company, Disney countersued, as did several subcontractors who claimed they were never paid. Now everyone will have their day in court.
Validus’ attorney, Thomas Allison, said Florida politics:
Problems were discovered, but the simplest way to think about it was that Disney asked for work they weren’t willing to pay for. They wanted the rooms completed that way and then the scope changed… Disney was not willing to pay for that work and it caused problems for my client, a small business. Judgment is always a tough fight. You are putting the case and the claims in the hands, in our case, of the judge. You hope for the best result.
The two sides will argue their cases starting April 22 in Orange County Court. In a further twist to this dispute, Validus Construction owner Nicole Wickens accuses members of the Walt Disney World construction team of making sexist comments to her and sending her a veiled threat via text message.
According to Wickens, Disney executives sent her a photo of hot sauce, a subtle way of telling her that Disney was “warming her up.”
Disney Vacation Club Resort has since opened its new treehouse villas, despite Validus Construction Services’ lawsuit and subsequent delays.
The court process is expected to last four weeks.
What do you think about Disney being sued again? Let us know in the comments.