A family says they were removed from Universal Studios in Florida after being accused of stealing from one of the amusement park’s gift shops.
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While speaking to PEOPLE, Nikki Daou, a paralegal at Morgan & Morgan, said the situation occurred due to a misunderstanding. She explained that her 7-year-old daughter, who has autism, had become overwhelmed at a gift shop. That was when things took a turn.
The family’s attorney, Eric “Rick” Block of Morgan & Morgan and Daou said her family went to Universal Studios on Dec. 27 and had made prior arrangements with the amusement park to accommodate their daughter. Following the interview portion of the process, the family received a card and stroller for the little girl’s needs.
During the visit to the gift shop, Super Nintendo World’s 1 Up Factory, the little girl was interested in a Super Mario keychain. Daou stated that her daughter’s current “fixation” was Mario.
However, not long after the family entered, “a bunch” of people “started piling in the store.” Daou “recognized it was gonna be a problem” for her daughter.
The mother and Block said she removed the barcode sticker from the $16 keychain and handed it to her husband, who was still browsing in the store. She and her daughter went outside the shop to avoid the crowd. The little girl had the keychain in her hand.
The Family Was Confronted by a Universal Studios Employee
Moments after she and her daughter left the store, Daou was allegedly approached by an “unidentified” park employee, who accused them of stealing the keychain.
Although she tried to explain the situation, stating that her husband had the barcode and was going to pay for the keychain, the park employee wasn’t having any of her explanation.
The family was ushered to another building where they were “interrogated” by Universal Studios officials. They were then allegedly served a one-year no-trespass warning and immediately directed to the park’s exit.
Block then said that the family was “scared to death” as they were staying on-site at a Universal property. They were worried about being “thrown out of the hotel in the middle of the night.”
Luckily, the family was able to stay at the resort and left in the morning. However, their troubles with the amusement park were far from over.
After returning home to Jacksonville, Florida, Daou received a letter in the mail from Universal attorneys demanding she and her family pay a $200 civil claim. The attorneys accused the family of “intentionally” depriving the park of merchandise without paying for it.
Daou stands by her actions and denies all allegations made by the amusement. “Whether it was a dollar, $20, or $500, we wouldn’t have stolen it,” she said.
In response to the letter, Block sent Universal Studios a demand claiming “negligence, abuse of process, libel, and false imprisonment.” He noted that the family does not want any money and will donate to an autism-focused organization.
“We really just want change,” Daou pointed out. “It’s important people understand we’re not asking for money.”
She then added, “I do want people held accountable for not complying with their own Universal guidelines and procedures when it comes to ADA and disabilities.”