A woman is suing the Walt Disney Co., alleging she was wrongfully fired in 2023 for having her cell phone turned on while working in Disneyland's Fantasyland in case her mentally disabled son had an emergency.
Jody Hunter-Deno's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations include wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, failure to engage in the interactive process. She seeks unspecified damages.
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A Disney representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Wednesday.
Hunter-Deno was hired in February 2011 as a Fantasyland Park operator. Two years earlier, her son was diagnosed with mental disabilities and the plaintiff has been his ongoing primary caretaker.
Hunter-Deno was given intermittent family leave to take care of her son in September 2023 and enabled her to go to his aid quickly if necessary, the suit state
Hunter-Deno's son worked for Disney in August and September, 2022, and the plaintiff was notified when her son had an aggressive outburst while on the job, the suit states. Hunter-Deno told one of the Fantasyland managers that her son had psychological issues and that she needed to have her phone turned on so she could monitor his condition and respond to an emergency, the suit states.
However, in December 2023 management asked Hunter-Deno about her phone, which she reiterated that she kept turned on in case her son needed her, according to the suit, which also states that she explained to supervisors that she only checked her notifications during breaks and not while she was operating Fantasyland rides.
Nonetheless, the first Fantasyland manager Hunter-Deno said she had spoken to after her son's outburst denied knowing anything about her son's condition and told her she had violated the park's phone policy by having the device turned on, the suit states. Another manager present suspended Hunter- Deno was the plaintiff was subsequently fired, the suit states.
Hunter-Deno has suffered lost income and emotional distress since losing her job, the suit states.
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