DeSantis asks federal judge to dismiss Disney suit, claiming broad immunity

Attorneys for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday asked a federal court to dismiss Disney‘s lawsuit that alleges political retaliation against the company, arguing that he and at least one other defendant are “immune” and that Disney lacks standing to sue them.

The attorneys also argued that Disney’s complaint — that DeSantis targeted the company after it denounced the controversial state classroom bill derided as “Don’t Say Gay” by critics — “fails to state a claim on which relief can be granted.”

A spokesman for Disney did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the court filing.

The governor’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit comes as he has leaned into his drawn-out battle with Disney while campaigning in the Republican presidential primary. The fight between DeSantis, the top GOP contender behind former President Donald Trump, and Disney, one of Florida’s top employers, has been brewing for well over a year.

The 27-page motion to dismiss was filed by attorneys for DeSantis and Meredith Ivey, named as secretary for Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

“Disney lacks standing to sue the Governor and Secretary, who are also immune from suit,” they argued in a filing in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee.

The entertainment giant’s lawsuit centers on the special tax district encompassing Florida’s Walt Disney World, which for decades allowed the company to essentially self-govern its operations there. After Disney criticized the Republican-backed classroom bill, DeSantis and his allies moved to dissolve that special tax district.

The district, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, was ultimately left intact, following fears that neighboring counties would be saddled with debt if it were dissolved. But it was renamed as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and its…