SHORT TAKES : ‘Beauty’ Wins Speedier Trial
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The opera singer who was the voice of Sleeping Beauty can sue Walt Disney Co. in Florida because the company does business in the state, an appeals court ruled.
The decision Wednesday could mean a speedier trial for Mary Costa, voice of the title character in Disney’s 1959 animated film “Sleeping Beauty.” The Palm Beach soprano is seeking an unspecified cut of the $60 million the company made from the movie’s videocassette release in 1986.
Disney attorneys had hoped to move the lawsuit from Palm Beach County to California, where the suit could have languished for years in the state’s overburdened judicial system.
The company originally argued to have the Florida case thrown out because Disney is a Delaware corporation with its primary place of business in California.
Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp refused to dismiss the case, and Disney attorneys appealed his decision to the 4th District Court of Appeals.
Costa’s suit claims Disney breached its contract with her by not paying her royalties from video sales of the movie.
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