Disney Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Discrimination in DEI Policies
The Walt Disney Company finds itself facing a lawsuit alleging that the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are unlawful and discriminatory.
The lawsuit, brought forth by American First Legal, cites both public documents available on Disney’s website and internal memos that show the company is actively prioritizing diversity initiatives like race and gender identity in its hiring practices.
“It is sad and tragic that a company whose name was once synonymous with wholesome and charming childhood fantasies is now dedicated to spreading divisive bigotry. We urge Disney to cease and desist its unlawful and destructive conduct at once,” said Stephen Miller, president of America First Legal.
Recent revelations shared by Elon Musk shed further light on Disney’s purported practices. Last week, Musk shared a document on X from an anonymous Disney source outlining the company’s “inclusion standards,” which include quotas for representation of underrepresented groups in various roles.
These quotas extend to both on-screen characters and behind-the-scenes staff, indicating a systematic approach to diversity that American First Legal argues violates federal civil rights laws. Many of these quotas require at least 50% of a certain hiring group to be members of an “unrepresented group.”
“It is patently unlawful to consider racial, ethnic, and sex-based characteristics in hiring, training, compensation, and promotion,” America First Legal argues in its complaint. “Decades of case law have held that policies that impose racial balancing or quotas in employment, training, or recruitment, such as those presented on Disney’s websites, are prohibited.”
The complaint asserts that Disney’s own admissions suggest a knowing and intentional violation of federal civil rights laws.
To anyone who has been paying attention to Disney’s hiring practice, it is obvious that the company has had an agenda to prioritize certain races or sexual identities in its projects. But now, Disney may find itself facing significant trouble if it is determined that the company’s conduct violates the law.
