A Commerce Township family is taking legal action against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts following a distressing incident in which a company employee reportedly captured covert upskirt footage of their underage daughter at Florida's Hollywood Studios Theme Park. As detailed in a complaint filed in Orange County, Florida, the accused, Jorge Diaz Vega, was donning his Disney uniform when he allegedly engineered a situation to film beneath the girl's dress on March 30, 2023, as reported by The Detroit News.
The incident occurred in a "Star Wars"-themed retail store, where Diaz Vega, with the pretext of demonstrating a toy to the girl, purportedly dropped a second toy and, while retrieving it, took unsolicited photographic and videographic images under her dress using an electronic device. As per the lawsuit, the family is seeking damages of $50,000, and the legal complaint elucidates that the child suffered severe emotional trauma, resulting in crying, screaming, and a panic attack in a nearby restroom. The unsettling revelations about the incident came into light after Disney security was alerted and subsequently involved the Orange County Sheriff's Office, according to CBS Detroit.
Investigations uncovered that Diaz Vega, who has been charged with counts relating to invasion of privacy, had a history of such behavior, with more than 600 questionable images and videos found on his personal cell phone. The undisclosed amount of footage was gathered over a span of six years, with Diaz Vega having admitted to these acts, as noted by NBC Miami. Reports suggest that this was not an isolated incident and that Diaz Vega had previously recorded a female coworker without consent, which was reported to his superior at Disney. Despite this, the company did not take adequate measures to mitigate the threat he posed.
The family's lawsuit states that Disney should have been aware of Diaz Vega's tendencies and is thereby complicit in negligence for failing to prevent such invasive acts. The gravity of the situation is compounded by allegations that the park did not ensure the safety of their guests, particularly minors. At the time of this reporting, Disney has not issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit, and Vega is facing two criminal cases for video voyeurism; his attorney has requested that Vega be declared incompetent to stand trial.
