An elderly Nevada resident is suing Disneyland after being bitten in the stomach by a security dog while entering the park in Anaheim in May 2022.
Paul Perez, 81, was visiting the Southern California attraction with his wife, daughter and grandchildren when the dog jumped on him at the front gate.
The lawsuit, filed in Orange County, alleges that a Disneyland handler tricked the dog into bumping into Perez, which in turn caused the dog to take revenge on him.
“He’s just this older man who’s on his way to Disneyland with his family to enjoy the day,” Perez’s attorney, Ian Pancer, told the Orange County Register.
Perez and his attorney are seeking a civil trial and compensation for his wound, pain, suffering, emotional distress and other medical expenses.
Paul Perez, 81, was bitten by a security dog with his grandchildren, wife and daughter while entering Disneyland in Anaheim, California on May 10, 2022
Perez and his attorney are seeking civil action and compensation from Disney Parks and Resorts for his wound, pain, suffering, emotional distress and other medical expenses
According to the lawsuit filed by the Las Vegas resident in an Orange County court, the brutal attack occurred on May 10, 2022.
The company uses K9 type security patrol units to monitor the entrances to the park as part of the screening process and to ensure guest safety.
During the incident, a Disneyland dog handler abruptly approached a dog “right in front of and very close” to Perez, which collided with the animal.
After Perez and the animal collided, the dog “attacked the plaintiff and bit him in the stomach,” according to court documents.
The elderly man was seriously injured by the bite and had to be taken to the hospital by his daughter, who was with him at the time.
Perez’s wife and his two grandchildren continued to walk in the park after the incident.
After the bite was treated with antibiotics, he was discharged from the hospital, but the trauma of the situation lingered.
“You can imagine that being attacked by a dog is quite traumatic for the man,” Pancer told the Orange County Register in an interview.
A Disneyland security dog stationed outside the theme park entrance. It’s unclear which security dog bit Perez
“He’s just this older man who’s on his way to Disneyland with his family to enjoy the day,” Perez’s attorney, Ian Pancer (pictured), told the Orange County Register
Pancer and Perez filed a lawsuit Aug. 1, accusing Disney’s theme park division of negligence in the case.
The two are calling for claims for damages to be “established by evidence at trial” and say they tried to avoid litigation altogether.
“One of the frustrating things is that we signaled to Disneyland that we were interested in resolving the case and they didn’t make an offer,” Pancer said.
“They didn’t offer him a penny,” the attorney continued.
reached out to Disneyland officials who could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
The latest lawsuit comes just weeks after Disney settled with pass holders who had sued the company for claiming they had been misled by the pass’s marketing.
“One of the frustrating things is that we signaled to Disneyland that we were interested in resolving the case and they didn’t make an offer,” Pancer said of Disneyland
The Dream Key pass cost Jenale Nielsen of Santa Clara County, California $1,399 and was stated at the time of purchase as having no blackout dates.
When Nielsen tried to book a reservation for November 2021, what she actually found was that 17 days were completely unavailable, including all weekend dates.
She later filed a lawsuit after she and other Magic Key holders found that single-day ticket buyers were being favored over them.
At the time of purchase, the Dream Key Pass was the most expensive pass option.
Nielsen and her attorneys argued that the “no blackout dates” advertisement led the Santa Clara County woman to believe she could visit the park anytime.
It was only when she did more research that she noticed the unfair treatment of passport holders compared to day tourists.
“As a frequent Disneyland visitor, Ms. Nielsen found it unlikely that all tickets and/or reservations for both Disneyland and California Adventure were sold for 17 of the 30 calendar days in November 2021,” the lawsuit reads.
When she bought a day pass for the same days in November, she found that reservations were available for both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland.
“The problem was that Disney decided to lock reservations so they were only available for new purchases and not for Dream Key Pass holders,” court documents said.