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A California couple says that their retirement plans were set back five years after they lost a lawsuit against Disneyland (DIS), following a ban from the park’s exclusive Club 33.
From 2012 through 2017, Scott and Diana Anderson paid the club’s yearly $31,500 dues — though the fees were just a drop in the bucket for the Disney fanatics. The Andersons, who are both 60 years old, estimate that they spent around $125,000 annually visiting the happiest place on Earth, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Club 33 is an exclusive dining venue, which is furnished with props from Disney films, original animation cels, and art nouveau design features. The Andersons were on a waiting list for more than a decade before being admitted into Club 33.
The magic came to an abrupt halt on Sept. 3, 2017, when Scott Anderson was allegedly found by security guards showing signs of being intoxicated. The guards told jurors that in addition to slurring his words and struggling to stand, Anderson’s “breath smelled of alcohol quite a lot.”
The permanent ban followed a previous suspension for Diana Anderson, after she allegedly used foul language at Club 33.
The Andersons asked that Disney reimburse them $10,500 for the four months in 2017 they paid for but could not use. They also requested an additional $231,000, according to the Los Angeles Times. The couple lost their case but plan to appeal — even in the face of mounting legal bills.
“I’ll sell a kidney,” Diana Anderson told the outlet. “I don’t care.”
The Andersons’ attorney, Sean Macias, did not dispute that Scott Anderson had been drinking that evening, but argued most of his symptoms were actually triggered by a concurrent vestibular migraine. During the civil trial, Macias criticized the park for failing to administer a breathalyzer test.
“They have not established that Mr. Anderson was intoxicated,” Macias told jurors. “He doesn’t want to be known as a drunk.”
Disney’s attorney, Jonathan E. Phillips told jurors that the Andersons were simply trying to avoid the consequences of Scott flouting the club’s rules against public intoxication.
“[Scott] cost his wife of 40 years her lifetime dream of having access to Club 33,” he said.
The legal battle has cost more than just Diana’s dreams — Scott told the Los Angeles Times that the trial set the couple back $400,000.
“My wife and I are both dead set that this is an absolute wrong, and we will fight this to the death,” he told the outlet. “There is no way we’re letting this go.”
This story originally appeared on Quartz, our sister site, on Monday, September 9.
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