Walt Disney World Co. v. Wood

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Walt Disney World Co. v. Wood, 489 So. 2d 61 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1986) is a court decision by Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeal illustrating the principle of joint and several liability when combined with comparative negligence. It also features a unique twist in that the plaintiff and one of the defendants were (at the time of the incident giving rise to the suit) engaged, and later married.

Florida State of the United States of America

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

Florida District Courts of Appeal

The Florida District Courts of Appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are five DCAs:

Where two or more persons are liable in respect of the same liability, in most common law legal systems they may either be:

In 1971, Aloysia Wood was injured on the Grand Prix bumper-car ride at Walt Disney World when her then-fiance, Daniel Wood, rammed his car into the rear of hers.

Walt Disney World Entertainment complex in Florida, United States

The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World and Disney World, is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in the United States, near the cities Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It was first operated by Walt Disney World Company. The property, which covers nearly 25,000 acres, only half of which has been used, comprises four theme parks, two water parks, twenty-seven themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs.

The jury assessed her damages at $75,000.

The jury then returned a verdict finding Aloysia Wood 14% at fault, Daniel Wood 85% at fault, and Disney 1% at fault. The court (under the doctrine of joint and several liability) then ordered Disney to pay 86% of the damages - its 1% percentage plus Daniel Woods' 85% percentage - because Daniel (who was by then Aloysia's husband) was unable to pay his portion.

This case is sometimes cited in calls for tort reform. [1]

Tort reform Type of judicial reform

Tort reform refers to proposed changes in the civil justice system that aim to reduce the ability of victims to bring tort litigation or to reduce damages they can receive.

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References

  1. Shmit, Joan T; Oleszczuk, Timothy K; Anderson, Dan R. "An Analysis of Litigation Claiming Joint and Several Liability". The Journal of Risk and Insurance. 58 (3): 401–402. JSTOR   253399.