Disney's $9.5M Gesture: Magic Key Holders In Class-action Lawsuit To Receive Compensation

Walt Disney Co DIS has decided to settle a longstanding class-action lawsuit that had been lingering in the courts for over a year and a half.

What Happened: The class-action lawsuit was spearheaded by Jenale Nielsen in December 2021, following her purchase of a Dream Key pass that was meant for visits to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Insider reported. 

Nielsen discovered that, despite the park's promise of no blackout dates, a large portion of the days in November 2021, the month she intended to visit, were unavailable.

Further investigation revealed that the park still sold new tickets, indicating that it was not at full capacity but was simply imposing blackout dates. 

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As a resolution, Disney proposed a settlement sum of $9.5 million, which translates to individual compensations of $67.41 to all members of the class-action suit. The group encompasses over 100,000 individuals.

The sum, however, is less than the cost of a single standard theme park ticket, which currently starts at just over $80. 

The settlement is now reportedly pending preliminary judicial approval. David Marcus, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, told CNN that a judge would first have to give a nod to the settlement and then scrutinize its terms.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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