These employees moved across the country for work, then Disney canceled the project. Now they’re suing.

Natasha Chen, CNN

(CNN) — Two labor are suing nan Walt Disney Company, saying nan institution moved their jobs from California to Florida, only for Disney to cancel nan task and move them back, hurting them financially and emotionally.

They’re proposing a people action, alleging location are galore others successful a akin situation.

In 2021, then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced a move of 2,000 positions from California to Florida. But successful May 2023, aft CEO Bob Iger returned, nan institution canceled nan $1 cardinal Lake Nona agency analyzable amid a ineligible and governmental conflict pinch Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that has since been settled.

The plaintiffs, Maria De La Cruz and George Fong, some activity for Disney’s merchandise creation division. De La Cruz is vice president of merchandise design, and Fong is simply a imaginative director, according to nan title revenge by Lohr Ripamonti LLP connected Tuesday.

The lawsuit, which seeks an unspecified magnitude successful damages, has not yet been processed by nan Superior Court of Los Angeles.

The title alleges that Disney misrepresented and concealed its existent plans for nan Lake Nona project, hurting – financially and different – astatine slightest 250 labor who had made nan move from California to Florida.

The title states labor were informed astir nan task to relocate 2,000 roles to Florida successful July of 2021 and that Disney “made it clear that labor who declined relocation would suffer their jobs.”

The title described really De La Cruz and Fong sold their homes successful Southern California and purchased homes successful Central Florida. For Fong, that meant trading nan puerility location that he inherited from his family.

After nan Lake Nona agency task was canceled, De La Cruz emailed quality resources astir nan early for those who mightiness take to enactment successful Florida, writing: “After each of this, will location beryllium immoderate information successful our positions? My fearfulness would beryllium that we determine to enactment successful Florida, only to beryllium laid disconnected successful nan adjacent twelvemonth aliases so. I don’t want to beryllium punished for being put into a business my institution put maine in,” nan title says.

The title says De La Cruz and Fong decided to move backmost to California to support their jobs, but lodging prices successful nan Lake Nona vicinity had dropped importantly aft Disney’s announcement. Fong said he had problem trading his Florida home, and erstwhile he managed to move backmost to California, owe rates and location prices had climbed truthful quickly that he was only capable to spend a smaller location than he antecedently had.

“Ms. De La Cruz, Mr. Fong and galore others dutifully moved to Florida because they emotion their jobs, they emotion nan group they activity with, and they emotion Disney,” Attorney Jason Lohr said.

Disney has not replied to a petition for comment.

The institution processing onshore successful Lake Nona has confirmed pinch CNN that Disney still owns nan 60 acres it had purchased for nan caller firm campus. Disney has not said what will hap to this property.