Disney lawsuit dismissed by judge latest in long feud with DeSantis: See the timeline of events

A federal judge Wednesday dismissed Disney's lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which alleged he retaliated against the company for publicly opposing the "Don't Say Gay" law.

Disney has been going head to head with the governor for nearly two years now, starting when former CEO Bob Chapek told DeSantis he was concerned about the Parental Rights in Education bill, which he said "could be used to target gay, lesbian, nonbinary and transgender kids and families."

In response, DeSantis moved to strip Disney of the special jurisdiction it oversaw as the largest single-site employer in the state. Disney called this retaliatory in a lawsuit, which was just tossed.

Disney is likely to appeal, the company told POLITICO in a statement:

"If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case," Disney said in the statement.

Here is a lookback at how the feud has unfolded:

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March 2022: DeSantis and Disney disagree on "Don't Say Gay" law

The Florida legislature passed the "Parental Rights in Education" bill, which critics quickly dubbed it the "Don't Say Gay" bill, saying the measure would stigmatize LGBTQ youth and banish discussions of their lives and families from the public school classroom.

After rising complaints from employees over the company's lack of reaction to the bill, Bob Chapek, Disney's CEO, told company shareholders that he called DeSantis to express his concern over the bill. He also committed Disney to signing the Human Right's Campaign's statement opposing legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community and giving $5 million to organizations fighting for the same cause.

Chapek thought DeSantis heard the concerns, but instead he lashed out at Disney.

In the weeks that followed, Disney halted political contributions in Florida, it's employees staged a walkout for LGBTQ rights and the company further pledged to work to repeal the law. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers began returning campaign contributions from the Walt Disney Co.

More: DeSantis took $100,000 from Disney before feuding with company. Will he give it back?

April 2022: DeSantis moves to cancel Disney's special district for control over Orlando resort

DeSantis escalated matters when he expanded a special session on redistricting to look into repealing Disney's five-decade-old special district.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District, spanning two counties and 25,000 acres, was created in 1967 to give Disney control over their property. Reedy Creek exempted 38 miles of land Disney owns from most state and local regulations and allowed Disney to collect taxes, follow its own building codes and provide emergency services for its six theme parks and resorts.

The Legislature took less than 48 hours to write, debate and approve the bill SB 4, which dissolved Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District effective June 1, 2023. DeSantis signed it the next day and warned of more consequences if Disney did not also dismantle its diversity and inclusion program.

May 2022: DeSantis moves in to establish state control over Disney district

After a failed attempt by a Central Florida resident to block the Reedy Creek resolution over concerns it would harm taxpayers, DeSantis announced the state would control the district.

“You know what, even though there are ways where you could potentially have local communities absorb jurisdiction over Disney, after seeing them threatening to raise taxes on their citizens, we are not going to be in a situation where we’re just going to be giving them locally control," DeSantis said during an event at Seminole State College. "More likely that the state will simply assume control and make sure that we’re able to impose the law and make sure we’re collecting the taxes."

November 2022: Disney CEO change prompts false hope for new agreement

In November of 2022, CEO Bob Chapek stepped down from the position and former CEO Bob Iger took over again for a planned two-year term.

With Iger back at the helm, the Financial Times reported that state lawmakers were working on a compromise to allow Disney to hold onto its special tax privileges, with some tweaks. Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said the governor “does not make U-turns” but said a plan is in the works and will be made public soon.

When the plan became public in January 2023, it became clear the new plan wouldn't do Disney any favors.

Reedy Creek was previously led by a five-member board who were essentially hand-picked by the Walt Disney Co. DeSantis's new plan would rename the board to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and put the board appointments under his control. The plan also would shield local taxpayers by putting the $700 million in outstanding debts onto Walt Disney Co.

"The corporate kingdom has come to an end," DeSantis' communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News.

February 2023: Disney pulls one over on DeSantis, stripping new board of power before it takes over

On the day before the Florida House voted to establish the new board, Reedy Creek and Disney quietly but publicly discussed and approved two contractual agreements that put control over a lot of what Reedy Creek used to handle under Disney's control for the next 30 years. Under the terms of the pacts and covenants, Disney retained maximum control over future development, current and future public facilities, and protection of wetlands and conservation lands in the district.

DeSantis' new district also is prohibited from using the name “Disney” or any symbols associated with the theme park resort without the company’s permission.

The new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District didn't discover this until the end of March, but not before DeSantis touted his defiance against the company in his book “The Courage to Be Free."

When the revelation made headlines, DeSantis escalated the feud, asking for an investigation into Disney's move and eventually moving to void the agreement. Iger called DeSantis's moves "anti-business" and "anti-Florida."

Apr. 26, 2023: Disney sues DeSantis for 'unconstitutional' and 'retaliatory' acts

Disney filed a lawsuit, saying that Florida's governor led a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" against the company. The lawsuit alleges five different violations of Disney’s constitutional rights by DeSantis, including two free speech violations, a property rights violation, a due process violation and a violation of the contracts clause.

"Disney regrets that it has come to this," the lawsuit reads. "But having exhausted efforts to seek a resolution, the Company is left with no choice but to file this lawsuit."

May 2023: New state district board sues Disney, Disney cancels $1 billion development plan in Florida

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted to file a lawsuit against Disney in state court in response.

“We have no choice now but to respond,” CFTOD Chairman Martin Garcia said during the board meeting. “We’ll seek justice in our own backyard.”

Shortly after the lawsuit, the state legislature also approved a bill to target Disney's Monorail jurisdiction and a movement to nullify development agreements between Disney and Reedy Creek.

Disney CEO Iger and Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chairman, announced that the company was no longer moving forward with a nearly $1 billion office complex in Orlando that would have brought more than 2,000 jobs to the region. D'Amaro cited "changing business conditions" and said the company hoped to continue with the $17 billion that was still earmarked for development at Disney World over the next ten years.

June to December 2023: Legal lobs back and forth between DeSantis, Disney

Shortly after DeSantis announced his presidential campaign, he tried to excuse himself from the case, asking a federal judge for immunity from the case. Two days later DeSantis requested through his attorneys to delay the trial until after the 2024 presidential election.

Disney's attorneys rejected DeSantis's request to remove himself from the lawsuit, saying "the Governor seeks to evade responsibility for his actions on a narrower ground, asserting that a governor cannot be held officially liable for implementing, administering, and enforcing state laws that punish residents for political statements violating a state-prescribed speech code."

As attendance fell at Disney World, Iger maintained it had nothing with the lawsuit. DeSantis told CNBC that Florida had "moved on" from the dispute, arguing the company should move on as well.

In court filings and a court hearing on Dec. 12, 2023, the governor’s attorneys said DeSantis is immune from the lawsuit and should be removed as a defendant, telling U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor the action was about making sure Disney played by the same rules as every other business.

Additionally, citing a 2015 appellate decision, they say if a law is constitutional on its face, it doesn’t matter if it was created for a retaliatory reason.

Jan. 31, 2024: Federal judge rejects Disney's lawsuit

On Wednesday, the judge appointed by former President Donald Trump dismissed Disney's lawsuit.

Judge Winsor cited a lack of standing in dismissing the claims against DeSantis and Alex Kelly, the Florida Department of Commerce secretary. Standing refers to whether someone has the right to sue another.

Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for DeSantis, applauded the decision.

"The days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone," he said in a statement. "The federal court's decision made it clear that Governor DeSantis was correct: Disney is still just one of many corporations in the state, and they do not have a right to their own special government. In short — as long predicted, case dismissed."

Disney, meanwhile, has previously warned in filings that a courtroom win for DeSantis would open up the floodgates for speech suppression.

"If the State’s strategy succeeds, Disney will assuredly not be the last entity punished for espousing disfavored viewpoints," the company wrote.

Contributing: Douglas Soule, George Petras, and Jennifer Borresen; USA TODAY Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DeSantis and Disney lawsuit tossed: Look back at Florida feud