The wife of the former Village People lead singer is taking Disney to court after she says the entertainment giant mistreated the iconic disco group, failing to pay them promptly and then banning them from performing at Walt Disney World for years to come.
Karen Willis — the wife of singer and co-founder Victor Willis, and the manager of the group’s live performance trademark — filed a lawsuit against Disney late last year on behalf of Victor and the group, according to documents obtained by TMZand they are seeking more than $20 million in damages.
Her husband Victor Willis is the only original member of the group still performing under the name Village People, and he wrote and sang lead on most of the group’s classic albums and hit singles, including YMCA, Macho Man and In The Navy.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Disney seeking comment.
Karen says the Village People were booked to perform at Walt Disney World in Florida in 2018, after about a decade of annual appearances at the theme park.
The Village People are suing Disney for more than $20 million after the group was allegedly mistreated during a performance at Walt Disney World in Florida in 2018 and subsequently blacklisted; a version of the group performed in Poland in 2007
Karen Willis, the manager and wife of Village People singer and co-founder Victor Willis (pictured), says Disney prevented her from helping in the sound booth during the 2018 performance
But she claims performance during the two-day job went poorly for the first time in years.
According to Karen Willis, she tried to enter the sound booth at the front of the house to ensure the audio was as good as possible during the Village People show, but Disney employees allegedly denied her entry and then shot her led away. It is unclear whether Disney had previously authorized her to assist the band in that capacity.
She claims that later during the band’s time at Disney World, she and Victor were attacked by a group of “overzealous fans,” who she claims were “planted” in the park by a group of feuding ex-Village People members.
In a complicated twist, Willis – who left the Village People after the group’s early success but returned to live performances in 2017 – had sued the group’s record label and production company to reinstate himself and give him the right to to perform with a new group under the care of the group. Name of villagers.
The group that had been performing as the Village People for decades at that point – including several dancing and singing members of the Village People who had been formed to support Willis’ lead vocals – had then revoked the rights to perform as under the name.
Karen Willis claims in her lawsuit that the members who were expelled from the Village People had a falling out with her husband, so they planted the dangerous fans in Disney World who attacked her and Victor, although it is unclear whether she has any evidence of that alleged conspiracy.
She says the Village People’s contract stipulates that they receive extra security, but she accuses Disney of failing to provide the required security while they were in the park.
But the biggest problem with 2018’s performance revolved around the group’s pay – or lack thereof.
Although Disney sent checks for the show, they were allegedly made out to the wrong people or groups, so Victor and the Village People could not get the money they were owed.
Karen claims that when she and Victor informed Disney of the payment issue, they were brushed off. It is unclear whether correct payments were ever made, and if so, how long it took for the correct checks to be sent.
She also claims that overzealous fans attacked her and Victor in the park during the two-day job, and she accuses Disney of ignoring a part of their contract that requires extra security; Disney World pictured in 2022
Payments to Willis (front center) and current group members were delayed after Disney allegedly wrote checks to the wrong people and then canceled them when the error was brought to its attention; an early Village People lineup pictured in 1976
Karen Willis accuses Disney of never booking the Village People again after the 2018 performance, despite the group performing annually at Disney World for about a decade up to that point; a version of the group is depicted in Poland in 2007
Disney filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but the motion was recently denied, meaning Village People’s lawsuit can move forward
Following the performance fiasco, the lawsuit accuses Disney of failing to book the Village People in the six years since the 2018 show, despite having booked the group annually for years before that.
Karen Willis says in Village People’s lawsuit that she believes House of Mouse deliberately failed to book the group, possibly in retaliation for the backlash over the allegedly substandard performances surrounding the 2018 show at Disney World.
In response, Disney filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying it had the right not to rehire the Village People, though it is unclear whether it gave a reason why the solicitations stopped after 2018.
However, Disney’s motion was recently denied, so Village People’s lawsuit can move forward.