Disneyland safety dog bite: Elderly man is suing Disney Parks and Resorts after he was allegedly bitten while visiting Anaheim
An elderly Nevada resident is suing Disneyland after being bitten in the stomach by a security dog as he entered 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 gates.
The lawsuit filed in Orange County alleges that a Disneyland dog handler caused the dog to bump into Perez, causing the dog to retaliate against him.
“He’s just an older man on his way to Disneyland with his family to enjoy the day,” Perez’s lawyer, Ian Pancer, told the newspaper. Orange County Register.
Perez and his attorney are seeking civil suit and compensation for his injury, pain, suffering, emotional distress and other medical expenses.
Paul Perez, 81, was bitten by a security dog as he entered Disneyland in Anaheim, California with his grandchildren, wife and daughter on May 10, 2022
Perez and his attorney are seeking a civil suit and restitution from Disney Parks and Resorts for his injuries, pain, suffering, emotional distress and other medical expenses
According to the lawsuit filed in an Orange County court, the Las Vegas resident said the brutal attack occurred on May 10, 2022.
The company uses secure K9 patrol units to guard the entrances to the park as part of the screening process to ensure the safety of guests.
During the incident, a Disneyland dog handler caused a dog to “suddenly step right in front and very close” to Perez who crashed into the animal.
After Perez and the animal collided, the “dog then attacked the plaintiff and bit him in the stomach,” court documents claim.
The elderly man was seriously injured by the bite and had to be taken to hospital by his daughter, who was with him at the time.
Perez’s wife and his two grandchildren continued into the park after the incident.
After being treated with antibiotics for the bite, he was released from the hospital, but the trauma of the situation continued.
“You can imagine it’s pretty traumatic for the man to have been attacked by a dog,” Pancer told the Orange County Register during an interview.
A Disneyland security dog stationed outside the theme park entrance. It is unclear which security dog bit Perez
“He’s just an older guy heading to Disneyland with his family to enjoy the day,” Perez’s attorney, Ian Pancer (pictured), told the Orange County Register.
Pancer and Perez filed suit on Aug. 1, accusing Disney’s theme park division of negligence in the case.
The pair are seeking damages to be “established by evidence at trial” and say they had tried to avoid litigation entirely.
“One of the frustrating things is that we told Disneyland that we have an interest in resolving the matter and they didn’t make an offer,” Pancer said.
“They didn’t offer him a dime,” the lawyer continued.
DailyMail.com 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 passholders who sued the company after alleging they were misled by the pass’s marketing.
“One of the frustrating things is that we told Disneyland that we have an interest in resolving the matter and they made no offer,” Pancer said of Disneyland.
The Dream Key pass cost Jenale Nielsen of Santa Clara County, California for $1,399 and was advertised as having no blackout dates at the time of purchase.
In reality, when Nielsen tried to book a reservation for November 2021, she found that 17 days were completely unavailable, including every weekend date.
She later filed a lawsuit after she and other Magic Key holders discovered that day pass buyers were being preferred over them.
At the time of purchase, the Dream Key pass was the most expensive pass option.
Nielsen and her attorneys argued that the language advertising “no blackout dates” led the Santa Clara County woman to believe she could visit the park anytime.
It was only after she started doing more research that she noticed the unfair treatment of pass holders compared to day trippers.
“As a frequent Disneyland visitor, Ms. Nielsen believed it was unlikely that all tickets and/or reservations for both Disneyland and California Adventure had already been sold for 17 of the 30 calendar days in November 2021,” the lawsuit read.
When she went to buy a day pass for the same days in November, she found reservations available for both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland.
“The problem was that Disney had decided to block reservations so they were only available for new purchases and not for Dream Key pass holders,” court documents said.