The Disney allergy lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Piccolo over his wife’s death at a Disney Springs restaurant ended on February 27, 2026, when Piccolo voluntarily dismissed all claims against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Raglan Road Irish Pub, and Great Irish Pubs, Inc., with prejudice. His attorney said only that “the case has been resolved.” Neither side disclosed whether money changed hands, though a dismissal with prejudice after roughly two years of contested litigation is consistent with a settlement.1Allergic Living. Lawsuit Against Disney Dropped in Doctor’s Food Allergy Death
What Happened at Raglan Road
Dr. Kanokporn “Amy” Tangsuan, a 42-year-old family medicine physician at NYU Langone Hospital on Long Island, died of anaphylaxis on October 5, 2023, after dinner at the Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs, Orlando. She had severe, lifelong allergies to dairy and nuts. According to the complaint, she and her family repeatedly told their server about the allergies and asked whether the kitchen could accommodate her. The server checked with the chef and confirmed that it could. Tangsuan ordered broccoli, corn fritters, scallops, and onion rings.2Fox 35 Orlando. Doctor Dies After Eating Dinner at Disney Springs Restaurant, Lawsuit Alleges3Florida Politics. Disney World Lawsuit: Woman Dies From Food Allergies After Disney Springs Dinner
When the food arrived, it lacked the “allergen-free” markers Disney restaurant protocol calls for. The suit alleged the server reassured the family the meal was safe anyway. Tangsuan collapsed later that evening while the family was shopping nearby, tried to use an EpiPen, and was pronounced dead. The Orange County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident, with anaphylaxis caused by elevated levels of dairy and nuts.4WESH. Disney Springs Raglan Road Allergy Lawsuit5CBS News New York. Disney Springs Restaurant Allergic Reaction Death
Who Was Sued and Why
In February 2024, Piccolo filed a wrongful death suit in Orange County, Florida, Circuit Court against three defendants: Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Raglan Road Irish Pub, and Great Irish Pubs Florida, Inc., which owns and operates the restaurant. He sought damages in excess of $50,000 under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act for mental pain, loss of companionship, lost income, and medical and funeral expenses.6NBC News. Disney Says Man Can’t Sue Over Wife’s Death
The complaint’s theory against Disney rested on control and agency: it alleged Disney trained the restaurant’s wait staff, set food allergy policies, and had an “agency relationship” with Great Irish Pubs Florida as its Disney Springs landlord. Disney’s position was that it neither owns nor operates the restaurant and should not have been a defendant.6NBC News. Disney Says Man Can’t Sue Over Wife’s Death Court filings alleged that in the three years before Tangsuan’s death, five other diners had been served meals contaminated with allergens at the same restaurant despite warning staff.7Florida Politics. Disney Wants to Keep Food Testing Results Confidential in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The Disney+ Arbitration Argument
The case became a national story in mid-2024 because of how Disney tried to knock it out. In May 2024, Disney moved to compel arbitration, arguing that Piccolo had given up his right to a jury trial by signing up for a Disney+ free trial in 2019. The terms of that streaming subscription, Disney said, required “individual binding arbitration” of all disputes with the company and its affiliates. Disney also pointed to similar language Piccolo accepted when he bought park tickets online in September 2023.8NPR. Disney Wrongful Death Lawsuit9CNN. Disney Arbitration Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Piccolo’s attorney, Brian Denney, called the argument “preposterous” and “so outrageously unreasonable and unfair as to shock the judicial conscience.” His team argued that an estate cannot be bound by a contract the deceased signed before the estate existed, and that Disney’s logic would mean more than 150 million Disney+ subscribers had unknowingly waived the right to sue the company over anything. Denney also said Piccolo believed he had canceled the Disney+ trial before any charge posted.6NBC News. Disney Says Man Can’t Sue Over Wife’s Death9CNN. Disney Arbitration Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The story generated widespread coverage and public outrage. On August 19, 2024, Disney reversed course. Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said the company would waive its right to arbitration. “At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations,” D’Amaro said. “With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss.”8NPR. Disney Wrongful Death Lawsuit10NBC Miami. Disney Allergy Death Lawsuit Disney Plus Terms The arbitration clauses themselves stayed on Disney’s platforms. Piccolo’s attorneys noted at the time that the language “still exist[s] on various platforms.”11CBS News New York. Disney Wrongful Death Lawsuit Arbitration
Discovery and the Food Testing Fight
With arbitration off the table, the case moved into discovery, and it moved slowly. A “doggy bag” of leftovers from the fatal meal had been frozen and preserved. In November 2024, both sides asked the court for guidance on how to test the samples. By October 2025, the parties were still arguing about testing procedures. Once an independent lab, InBio Lab, produced results, Disney and Raglan Road moved to have them designated confidential.1Allergic Living. Lawsuit Against Disney Dropped in Doctor’s Food Allergy Death7Florida Politics. Disney Wants to Keep Food Testing Results Confidential in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Denney opposed the confidentiality request. He said Disney lacked a “good faith basis” to seal the results and that the tests were intended to be “Exhibit One” at trial. He also accused the defendants of being “heavy-handed” throughout discovery, saying they had tried to designate nearly all produced documents as confidential, including the restaurant’s publicly available menu.7Florida Politics. Disney Wants to Keep Food Testing Results Confidential in Wrongful Death Lawsuit No court ruling on the confidentiality issue was reported before the case ended.
How the Case Ended
On February 27, 2026, Piccolo voluntarily dismissed all claims against all three defendants with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled. Denney told reporters the case had been “resolved” and declined to elaborate. Whether the dismissal followed a financial settlement or was a decision to drop the case has not been made public, and no dollar figures have been released.1Allergic Living. Lawsuit Against Disney Dropped in Doctor’s Food Allergy Death
Disney’s Allergy Booking Policy Change
The same month the lawsuit was dismissed, Disney World changed how it handles food allergies at the reservation stage. In February 2026, the company removed the option for guests to note allergies and dietary restrictions when booking dining through the My Disney Experience app and website. The previous system let guests select specific allergens from a checklist, and that information was forwarded to the restaurant in advance so chefs could plan for it.12Allergic Living. Reality Check: What Disney’s Allergy Booking Changes Will Mean13SnackSafely. The End of the Gold Standard: Disney Weakens Landmark Allergy Policy
Now, guests must raise allergy needs in person with their server on arrival. The booking interface carries a disclaimer: “Guests must notify their server about any allergen-friendly requests. While we take steps to help mitigate cross-contact, we cannot guarantee that any item is completely free of allergens.”14Disney Food Blog. The Disney World App Just Changed Dining Reservations Disney also added language warning that allergy-friendly recipes may use refined oils or ingredients processed in facilities that handle allergens.13SnackSafely. The End of the Gold Standard: Disney Weakens Landmark Allergy Policy
Food allergy advocates called the change a retreat from what the industry had considered a “gold standard,” where chefs received advance notice and could plan. The new approach puts responsibility on the guest at the table and more closely resembles standard restaurant practice.13SnackSafely. The End of the Gold Standard: Disney Weakens Landmark Allergy Policy Disney has not publicly linked the change to the Tangsuan litigation.
Why the Arbitration Fight Still Matters
Disney abandoned its arbitration argument before any judge ruled on it, so the case did not produce binding law. What it produced was attention. Legal scholars have used it as a leading example of what Professor David Horton has called “infinite arbitration clauses,” provisions drafted so broadly they could sweep in disputes with corporate affiliates that have nothing to do with the original service.15University of Missouri Law Review. Infinite Arbitration: How One Click Can Take You Out of Court Forever Analysis in the University of Miami Law Review noted that 91 percent of consumers agree to terms of service without reading them, making “knowing and voluntary consent” to arbitration largely fictional in practice.16University of Miami Law Review. Is Reading the Fine Print Enough? The Eleventh Circuit, which covers Florida, has held that a dispute must be a “foreseeable result” of the underlying contract to be subject to arbitration, a standard Disney’s streaming-to-restaurant theory would likely have failed.
For the ordinary Disney customer, the practical takeaway is narrower: the arbitration clauses in Disney+ and park ticket terms of use remain on the platforms, unchanged by this case. Disney’s waiver applied to Piccolo’s suit and no other.