A California resident has filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company claiming a Disneyland cast member in a Goofy costume permanently injured her during a 2022 trip.
The lawsuit was filed in Orange County Superior Court in late March 2024 by a woman named Katrina Griffin. She claimed that while she was visiting Disney’s California Adventure Park with her daughter in April 2022, a cast member dressed as Goofy “walked directly” into her.
The impact caused Griffin to fall onto the “hard cement.” But the incident didn’t end there. She stated the Disneyland cast member ended up falling “with all of his body weight” onto her. The accidental fall resulted in what she said was “severe, traumatic, debilitating, and permanent injuries that necessitated significant medical care.”
However, the lawsuit did not disclose the details about the injuries. Although those named in the lawsuit are Disneyland and the cast member in the Goofy costume, Griffin was unable to identify who the cast member was.
The character’s “handler,” who walks around the park with the cast member in the suit to ensure safety between the cast member and the guests, was also named in the lawsuit. Griffin stated the handler failed to prevent the accident. Handler was also not identified in the lawsuit.
The cast member in the Goofy costume is listed as “John Doe 1” and the handler is listed as “John Doe 2” in the lawsuit documents.
Griffin is currently seeking damages for negligence and stated her injuries from the incident “will result in some permanent disability.” She asked through the lawsuit for a jury trial to pursue damages for healthcare bills and loss of earnings due to recovery.
It was further reported that a case management conference has been scheduled for Sept. 4.
Disneyland Previously Hit With Lawsuit Over Cast Members Allegedly Laughing at Disabled Guest
Disneyland has been hit with several lawsuits over the past few years. In late 2022, a suit was filed against Disneyland over a 2021 incident at the park’s Jungle Cruise ride.
According to the Orange County Register, the lawsuit reveals that while the guest, identified as Joanne Aguilar, was at the theme park with her adult daughters in Aug. 2021, Aguiler was told by employees that a wheelchair-accessible boat was unavailable.
The ride does have an ADA-accessible boat to allow disabled guests to board without getting out of their wheelchairs. However, Aguiler decided to ride another boat and her daughters assisted her.
When the ride came to an end, Aguilar’s daughters assisted with helping her out of the boat. Disneyland cast members did not assist her. Instead, those working on the ride were allegedly laughing at her as she struggled to get off the ride.
Aguilar lost her balance on blocks placed on the steps. She fell back and fractured her right femur. She spent 10 days at a nearby hospital before going to a rehabilitation center.
Unfortunately, Aguilar suffered an infection while at the center and went into septic shock. She later died in early 2022.
Her family sued for wrongful death and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those listed in the lawsuit are the Walt Disney Company, Disney’s theme park division, and Disneyland.