The past month has been a tumultuous one for Disney with scandal after scandal popping up and surrounding the company seemingly every few days.
Now, according to Netolabo, the Tokyo Disney Resort operator has now been ordered to pay damages to an unnamed woman who filed her lawsuit back in 2018 due to violations of safety and accusation of harassment. The woman worked at the Resort as a character performer for over a decade. The Oriental Land Company, where she worked as a character performer for thirteen years.
Reportedly, supervisors at the Park spread rumors about her and other Cast Members working there, saying things like “Women over 30 shouldn’t work here, why don’t you quit already” to the woman. In a statement to the press, she said “I have endured this for many years, but nothing will change if I just put up with it. My dream is to have a workplace where I can continue to work with peace of mind, where there is no power harassment.”
Also included in the lawsuit was an incident involving the woman’s finger. According to the suit, the woman’s finger was injured after a Guest twisted in, The woman said her claims for worker’s compensation were quickly dismissed, claiming she was told “You’re an entertainer, you have to put up with that sort of thing. You’re so weak,” the boss reportedly said.
The suit was filed by the woman with damages reported to be ¥3.3 million or around $30,000. The woman claimed that the Oriental Land Company, the organization that runs and operates the Tokyo Disney Resort, failed to educate its employees on the prevention of harassment and also failed to take measures to relieve victim’s suffering. Now, a ruling was reached with the judge ordering Oriental Land to pay ¥880,000 or $7100 to the woman in damages.
In the midst of this legal drama, the Oriental Land Company released a statement saying “It is truly regrettable that some of our claims were not recognized in this judgment, and we will consider our future response after carefully examining the details of the judgment. In addition, no statements were found to fall under the category of ‘power harassment’ as claimed by the plaintiff. We apologize for the concern we have caused to our Guests and all those who support us on a daily basis.”
