Brawl at Test Track-Epcot

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Really because if I was close to that incident, I would want the CM to do whatever is necessary, including restrain her so my family and no one else gets hurt by just being in the wrong place, wrong time

Unfortunately, a CM getting involved will open Disney up to litigation. That is why they are instructed to not get involved. They don't posses the skills and training required to make the decisions necessary for that function. There are other individuals who have been given the training and they are who Disney would want to respond. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying what happens because of the litigious society we live in.

 

[Lehuaann]

Whoever went from verbal to physical "started" it. If it's verbal, have a better vocabulary then the other person or be quiet. Walk away. Ask a CM to please move you or the other person. Anything. When you move to physical, you lose and yes, you become, IMO, the one who "started" it.

Whoever made first contact would most likely be viewed at the primary aggressor, not necessarily the one who started it.

Hard to tell from the video, but witness account should be enough for authorities to go forward with a case...

 

[disneyjunkie]

Whoever went from verbal to physical "started" it. If it's verbal, have a better vocabulary then the other person or be quiet. Walk away. Ask a CM to please move you or the other person. Anything. When you move to physical, you lose and yes, you become, IMO, the one who "started" it.

Unfortunately, a CM getting involved will open Disney up to litigation. That is why they are instructed to not get involved. They don't posses the skills and training required to make the decisions necessary for that function. There are other individuals who have been given the training and they are who Disney would want to respond. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying what happens because of the litigious society we live in.

The same rule is in place in some school systems. Teachers can not physically break up a fight. They can TELL the kids to stop fighting, clear the area and call security. Touching the kids can result on you being fired and/or sued by crazy parents.

 

[DisneyBabies]

But we dont know what happened before the video started, there could have been physical or verbal confrontations before the other guests started to record so can we really say from the video who started it???

I never said one of them started it; I simply stated what I saw from the video. Others who were there and were standing at a different angle could have seen more or less than what the video showed and could have a different story.

It looks like something occurred to make mom and the daughter start swinging. I think she hit the teen or the mom.


Mom and the teen had plenty of opportunities to swing on the woman prior to that. You can even hear the teen telling the woman to go head (walk away).
Why the heck did the woman turn and walk back toward them any way?? That just added fuel to the fire.


People are saying the police were not called.

But because of the angle and distance on the video, we have no way of saying that without it being an assumption.

And there were several times that girl#1 walked away, but the mom and daughter continued to yell at her, so who was adding fuel to the fire there?

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/brawl-between-3-women-epcot-caught-video/nm63R/

Here's an excerpt: A Walt Disney World spokeswoman told WFTV Sunday that an Orange County sheriff's deputy responded to the incident, but no park guests were arrested or forced to leave the theme park.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

The same rule is in place in some school systems. Teachers can not physically break up a fight. They can TELL the kids to stop fighting, clear the area and call security. Touching the kids can result on you being fired and/or sued by crazy parents.

Unfortunately, I think it's pretty much standard operating procedure for most places these days.

 

[littleblackegg]

She was being a role model. Showing her children how to "keep it real".

That said, yes, I suspect there will be a lawsuit, due to the way that the CM handled the teenage girl. They will likely claim that he "body slammed" her against the railing, and use this exact video as proof. And, the CM will likely be disciplined for that action (and he should be, he shouldn't have touched the girl, not in today's society).

I mean, heck, we live in a world where people sue Disney because they don't feel their kid got enough attention from a costume character and as a result the character is "racist", or the incident where two snotty little girls yanked the white rabbits tail and he (shame on him) broke character...yeah, apparently that's his fault, not the Dad video recording the whole thing and snickering like it's hilarious that his daughters are behaving so poorly.

It is just sad.

Really, I think people are making too big of a deal of that guy. The only person who did anything here was the CM and he's about to lose his dang job over it. Disgusting.

I think a certain amount of guest abuse is expected as part of your job description, but I think the line gets crossed when your physical safety or your physical boundaries get crossed. I'm sure the Disney brass will protect you as long as you maintain a professional affect and only take the actions necessary to maintain safety and prevent panic. My husband and I were in EPCOT about 5-6 years ago (it was before our wedding, so at least 5) and we watched a very angry man dump two trays of hot food and sodas on a CM in the China pavilion. He was yelling something about her English, and how she shouldn't be here if she can't speak English. People were appalled. She came out to where the napkins were and started trying to clean off her costume. Richard ran to find a manager. I ran over to her and helped get the food off her as best I could. A Chinese woman speaking Mandarin came over to help calm her. A few managers came out and took her back, the Chinese woman did not want to leave her. They allowed her to stay. I think those egregious situations where everyone sees the CM being abused make Disney more likely to treat the CM well. Guests do not like to see the CM's being abused.

 

[Alesia]

Unfortunately, a CM getting involved will open Disney up to litigation. That is why they are instructed to not get involved. They don't posses the skills and training required to make the decisions necessary for that function. There are other individuals who have been given the training and they are who Disney would want to respond. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying what happens because of the litigious society we live in.

Also, they don't want the CM to be injured and file a workman's comp claim.

 

[littleblackegg]

It could be that the guests left without being "made" to leave the parks. You know how a spokesperson can make things sound a bit different than reality. Pretty sure they just want this all to go away with as little talking and information disclosure as possible.

Oh, I could totally see this. "You are welcome to stay in the parks this evening, but in order to do that, we need to document these events with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. They may need to have you meet with the Department of Children and Families as well. The Walt Disney Company will be delighted to host you and your family for the rest of the night once we have a report for our legal department. Have a magical evening!"

 

[disneyjunkie]

And there were several times that girl#1 walked away, but the mom and daughter continued to yell at her, so who was adding fuel to the fire there?

So What?? They could have talked / yelled at her all the way through the line. She had no business walking back to where they were. People can talk smack all day long. You can ignore it, talk back or call a CM in to call security. Walking back to confront them ( and I think throwing the first punch ), took the whole thing from a verbal confrontation to a physical one.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/brawl-between-3-women-epcot-caught-video/nm63R/

Here's an excerpt: A Walt Disney World spokeswoman told WFTV Sunday that an Orange County sheriff's deputy responded to the incident, but no park guests were arrested or forced to leave the theme park.

This leads to believe that woman hit the teen first. If I'm having an argument and out of the blue, two people just jump on me, you better believe I'm pressing charges. BUT, if I threw the first blow(and hit a minor), I'm going to let it go.

 

[Mkrop]

Unfortunately, a CM getting involved will open Disney up to litigation. That is why they are instructed to not get involved. They don't posses the skills and training required to make the decisions necessary for that function. There are other individuals who have been given the training and they are who Disney would want to respond. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying what happens because of the litigious society we live in.

Well I would be a very unhappy camper if myself or my family got hurt while they stood by and watched when I was an innocent bystander.

 

[Alesia]

Unfortunately, I think it's pretty much standard operating procedure for most places these days.

Years ago, I worked in the babysitting room at the YMCA. We had a little boy there who had a truly life threatening allergy. We were instructed by our branch director that we could not, under any circumstances, administer an epipen. They would have rather had us watch a little boy die than to give him treatment because they were afraid of a lawsuit. Most of us made it clear to the little boy's mom that us would absolutely give the epipen, no question. If we got fired, then so be it.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Well I would be a very unhappy camper if myself or my family got hurt while they stood by and watched when I was an innocent bystander.

I understand that completely. And, if someone were to get hurt while a CM stood by observing and reporting, I'm sure the Disney legal team would have a very vigorous defense as to why they did so should it ever reach a courtroom. It's just the nature of the beast at this point.

 

[Lehuaann]

I'm not totally sure what the CM policy is concerning fights, but I know they are trained to call security...and I've also seen video's of CMs (not security) pepper spraying unruly guests. As far as Worker's Comp - I doubt a CM would stand a chance of being supported if he took it upon himself to get involved.

Another fight - the Teacup Tussle from 2007 started over line-cutting. Investigators were actively searching for witnesses after it took place. That's why I doubt this is far from over. The person they charged as the aggressor ended up serving 48 days in jail, probation, etc. The defendant (who had a history of violence herself) ended up suing Disney and lost...

 

[Baklava]

Yes someone gets me!!!

"Da Cheeeeat! In da place where the tropical breezes blow! Da Cheeeeat! In the coolest place I know!"

 

[Baklava]

I'm honestly having difficulty explaining what I mean when I say they could be playing with the words in their statement. I think they may have worded that particular response in such a way as to eliminate any follow up questions that certainly would have followed if they stated people were removed.

Yep. "Leave on your own and we won't press charges and ban you for life" can technically be described as "nobody was forced to leave."

I on;y ask you because you keep saying there is no case for wrongful termination, which leads me to think you think his termination is warranted. I was just asking if I was reading you right

It doesn't have to be right or fair or moral to be legal. If Disney can produce a rule book stating that touching guests is grounds for immediate termination, there's no *legal* grounds for him to sue. It is legal for them to have that rule and legal for them to enforce it. It may suck, but it's not actionable in a court of law. There is probably no *legal* c

 

[kandb]

Can't even keep trash out of beautiful WDW

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Can't even keep trash out of beautiful WDW

But, I thought there was a trash can every 30 feet or so?

 

[Gorechick]

I'm sure this incident could have been handled with discretion with no after effects however, it's now plastered all over the net and news. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[kandb]

I laugh when I see people saying that the "woman" hitting the other "woman" with an umbrella will sue WDW. What the heck is the basis for the lawsuit? This country has gotten so disgusting with the amount of lawsuits over every damn frivolous thing, it turns my stomach. Now some person's gonna get money because someone tried to stop her from beating the sh*t out of someone else? When is this insanity going to stop???????

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I laugh when I see people saying that the "woman" hitting the other "woman" with an umbrella will sue WDW. What the heck is the basis for the lawsuit? This country has gotten so disgusting with the amount of lawsuits over every damn frivolous thing, it turns my stomach. Now some person's gonna get money because someone tried to stop her from beating the sh*t out of someone else? When is this insanity going to stop???????

This thread twisted and turned with all kinds of speculation. I doubt any of it will become a reality though.