Epcot ride builder settles suits with Disney
By: JOHN ANASTASI The Intelligencer
A five-year legal battle between Upper Southampton's Environmental Tectonics Corp. and the Walt Disney World Co. over the construction of a popular Epcot Center attraction has ended.
The parties announced a settlement Tuesday, but said the deal's terms are confidential and wouldn't be disclosed.
Environmental Tectonics, which Disney hired to build its Mission: Space simulator ride, had sought $15 million in a breach-of-contract suit.
In a joint statement, Disney officials acknowledged the key role Tectonics had played in developing the Disney attraction and Environmental Tectonics' CEO expressed relief the litigation was over.
"We are pleased that we have resolved our differences with Disney on an amicable basis," said company President and CEO William F. Mitchell Sr. "[Environmental Tectonics] was proud to work on Disney's spectacular Mission: Space attraction."
Located in the County Line Industrial Park, Environmental Tectonics designs, develops and installs aircrew training systems. For $25 million, Disney hired the company in 2000 to build the attraction, which simulates spacecraft take-off, zero-gravity space travel, maneuvers and a Mars landing.
Just months before the attraction opened in 2003, Tectonics sued Disney, claiming that Disney had removed the company from the job after design and contract changes pushed the cost to nearly $45 million. Environmental Tectonics claimed Disney failed to pay the company $15 million.
Disney responded with its own lawsuit, claiming that Tectonics did a poor job and misrepresented the project's total cost. It sought $47 million to $72 million in damages.
In 2005, while the 2003 litigation was still unfolding, Environmental Tectonics filed a second lawsuit. That suit accused Disney of downplaying the company's role in creating the attraction and showing "utter disrespect" for its intellectual property. It leveled further breach-of-contract and unfair competition claims.
The court dismissed the suit in March, but Environmental Tectonics was appealing the ruling.
Tuesday's settlement resolves both the 2003 lawsuits and 2005 case.
"Disney very much appreciates the role that [Environmental Tectonics] played in the design and development of Mission: Space," said Peter Steinman, senior vice president for Walt Disney Imagineering. "The centrifuge technology expertise and experience that [it] brought to the project was very important."
John Anastasi can be reached at 215-949-4170 or janastasi@phillyBurbs.com.
By: JOHN ANASTASI The Intelligencer
A five-year legal battle between Upper Southampton's Environmental Tectonics Corp. and the Walt Disney World Co. over the construction of a popular Epcot Center attraction has ended.
The parties announced a settlement Tuesday, but said the deal's terms are confidential and wouldn't be disclosed.
Environmental Tectonics, which Disney hired to build its Mission: Space simulator ride, had sought $15 million in a breach-of-contract suit.
In a joint statement, Disney officials acknowledged the key role Tectonics had played in developing the Disney attraction and Environmental Tectonics' CEO expressed relief the litigation was over.
"We are pleased that we have resolved our differences with Disney on an amicable basis," said company President and CEO William F. Mitchell Sr. "[Environmental Tectonics] was proud to work on Disney's spectacular Mission: Space attraction."
Located in the County Line Industrial Park, Environmental Tectonics designs, develops and installs aircrew training systems. For $25 million, Disney hired the company in 2000 to build the attraction, which simulates spacecraft take-off, zero-gravity space travel, maneuvers and a Mars landing.
Just months before the attraction opened in 2003, Tectonics sued Disney, claiming that Disney had removed the company from the job after design and contract changes pushed the cost to nearly $45 million. Environmental Tectonics claimed Disney failed to pay the company $15 million.
Disney responded with its own lawsuit, claiming that Tectonics did a poor job and misrepresented the project's total cost. It sought $47 million to $72 million in damages.
In 2005, while the 2003 litigation was still unfolding, Environmental Tectonics filed a second lawsuit. That suit accused Disney of downplaying the company's role in creating the attraction and showing "utter disrespect" for its intellectual property. It leveled further breach-of-contract and unfair competition claims.
The court dismissed the suit in March, but Environmental Tectonics was appealing the ruling.
Tuesday's settlement resolves both the 2003 lawsuits and 2005 case.
"Disney very much appreciates the role that [Environmental Tectonics] played in the design and development of Mission: Space," said Peter Steinman, senior vice president for Walt Disney Imagineering. "The centrifuge technology expertise and experience that [it] brought to the project was very important."
John Anastasi can be reached at 215-949-4170 or janastasi@phillyBurbs.com.
