I noticed something interesting while taking a peek at another theme park incident: Burkhalter v. Disney. That was the case back in 2019/2020 where a 69-year-old woman was arrested by OCSO at Magic Kingdom after Disney security flagged her CBD oil. After the criminal charges were dismissed, she later filed a civil suit with Ben Crump as her attorney.
That’s the same attorney running the PR offensive against Universal right now.
Anyway, the suit itself was a mess. It read more like a political attack speech than an actual lawsuit, with facts being optional and opinions getting equal billing. It was loaded with conjecture, irrelevant points, and flat-out mistakes - two easy examples being that Disney doesn’t own Tokyo Disneyland and has never owned or operated a park in Taiwan.
The case went nowhere in either state or federal court. The federal case wasn’t even dismissed on the merits - it was tossed because Crump’s team couldn’t follow basic procedure, missing mandatory disclosures after being warned. The judge even noted his firm had failed to comply with orders in another related case. The fact that they haven't refiled 5 years later is equally damning.
If this is who the Rodriguez Zavala family has chosen to represent them, they don’t stand much of a chance if things actually hit a courtroom. Crump’s power is outside the courtroom - he plays to the media and wins in the court of public opinion. Inside the courtroom, Universal’s attorneys will wipe the floor with him… if he even manages to follow the rules.
Best case for the family is an out-of-court settlement. Worst case, they trusted this to a shyster.
That’s the same attorney running the PR offensive against Universal right now.
Anyway, the suit itself was a mess. It read more like a political attack speech than an actual lawsuit, with facts being optional and opinions getting equal billing. It was loaded with conjecture, irrelevant points, and flat-out mistakes - two easy examples being that Disney doesn’t own Tokyo Disneyland and has never owned or operated a park in Taiwan.
The case went nowhere in either state or federal court. The federal case wasn’t even dismissed on the merits - it was tossed because Crump’s team couldn’t follow basic procedure, missing mandatory disclosures after being warned. The judge even noted his firm had failed to comply with orders in another related case. The fact that they haven't refiled 5 years later is equally damning.
If this is who the Rodriguez Zavala family has chosen to represent them, they don’t stand much of a chance if things actually hit a courtroom. Crump’s power is outside the courtroom - he plays to the media and wins in the court of public opinion. Inside the courtroom, Universal’s attorneys will wipe the floor with him… if he even manages to follow the rules.
Best case for the family is an out-of-court settlement. Worst case, they trusted this to a shyster.
Crump put out a PR on the 3rd.
