Court exhibit from the lawsuit Credit: Photo via Orange County Circuit Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit / Orange County Clerk of Courts
Three Floridians filed suit against Disney last week, claiming they got food poisoning from a salad filled with “dozens of live insects and bugs” at the Polynesian Village Resort.

Broward County residents Britney Walker Figueroa, Cynthia Walker and Jeoffrey Walker filed suit on Aug. 20 against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Oasis Bar and Grill and Disney’s Polynesian Villa Bungalows, and on behalf of one minor.

Court exhibit from the lawsuit Credit: Photo via Orange County Circuit Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit / Orange County Clerk of Courts

Eating the salad made the trio, and Figueroa’s daughter, “extremely sick, requiring multiple visits via ambulance to the emergency room in Orange County,” according to the court complaint.

Disney, in a prepared emailed statement, denies the food made the guests sick.

“Enjoying high-quality meals in clean and safe restaurants is an important part of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation,” a spokesperson wrote via email. “We do not believe the claimed illnesses were a result of the guests’ dining experiences, and we will defend against these allegations in court.”

Court exhibit from the lawsuit Credit: Photo via Orange County Circuit Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit / Orange County Clerk of Courts
The incident dates to Dec. 12, 2018, when the guests ate several lettuce wraps from a buffet at “Club Level Lounge,” a section of the Polynesian resort. After eating the wraps, each guest reported feeling something crawling inside their mouths, then took out “what appeared to be a small green object that had legs and was moving.”

Eating the food caused the guests “serious permanent injuries,” according to the suit. The nature of the injuries was not specified. Disney was negligent, the suit claims, for serving food that was “defective and unreasonably dangerous.”

Court exhibit from the lawsuit Credit: Photo via Orange County Circuit Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit / Orange County Clerk of Courts
The guests are suing Disney for an unspecified amount in damages that will exceed $15,000.

Alexander Avarello, an attorney representing the guests, declined to comment when reached by phone.

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This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 3, 2019.