Disney faces lawsuit in 2023 upskirt investigation of former employee
A new 18-page lawsuit claims Disney World should have known Jorge Diaz Vega was unfit for his position and posed a risk for park guests and employees. The lawsuit says the park should have been aware of evidence uncovered by investigators that included 'more than 600 images and videos of unwitting victims on his phone.' Criminal Attorney Jose Rivas explains why the lawsuit has ground.
'All they have to prove is that the individual was working during the term of employment, they committed this act, and Disney had a duty to investigate him. There's a prior act. In this case, they should have known, fired, or kept him under supervision. By allowing him to work, they were negligent, and for that, they'll be held liable,' said Rivas.
Court documents reveal the victim in the lawsuit was 14 years old at the time of the March 2023 incident. She told her grandmother Diaz Vega 'bent over to pick up a toy and used his cellphone to take a picture under her dress while at the Star Wars' Galaxy Edge marketplace.
Both an Orange County Sheriff's Office affidavit and the lawsuit say Diaz Vega's recording history involved park employees. Court documents state he was caught recording a female employee at Disney's Animal Kingdom— before the incident involving the minor.
Diaz Vega admitted to taking videos and even showed investigators some of what he took. The affidavit says he said, 'Taking the videos was a guilty pleasure.' He told them he had been doing it for six years, the duration of his employment at the park.
'This is a perfect case where you have to be aware of your surroundings. This particular case you have a person in uniform who is trying to record a minor, had it not been for this individual seeing this, who know how many more times it occurred,' said Rivas.
During an interview with deputies, Diaz Vega wrote an apology letter to his victims. He also shared why he committed the act. He told investigators that when he was little and living in Puerto Rico, a female clown placed him under her dress.
Diaz Vega remains in the Orange County Jail. He's set for a competency hearing in May.
WFTV has reached out to attorneys on both sides and Disney for comment but haven't heard back.
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