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    DeSantis allies ask Florida judge to throw out Disney’s counterclaims in lawsuit

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments4164 Views
    Crowds fill Main Street USA in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom on the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Oct. 1, 2021. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)
    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) --

    Agreements that Disney made with the governing district for Walt Disney World before it was taken over by appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weren't legally valid, and the company's counterclaims against the district should be dismissed, the governing body said in court papers filed this week.

    The governing district now controlled by supporters of the Republican governor said in court papers Wednesday that a state court judge should dismiss Disney's counterclaims. The counterclaims seek a court declaration that the agreements are valid and that the district's board of DeSantis allies violated the company's contracts, free speech and due process rights.

    The agreements shifted control over design and construction at Disney World from the district to the company and prohibited the district from using the likeness of Disney characters or other intellectual property without Disney's permission. The agreements were signed in February before the district takeover by the DeSantis appointees, who claim the contracts neutered their powers for the district that provides municipal services for Disney World.

    The takeover of the district, which was previously controlled by Disney allies, came after the company publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.

    The contracts weren't properly publicized and the Disney supporters on the district's board at the time didn't have the legal authority to sign the agreements, the district now-controlled by DeSantis supporters said in this week's court papers.

    "Disney has failed to allege any facts that demonstrate the existence of damages," said the district, called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District since the takeover after being called the Reedy Creek Improvement District for the previous 55 years.

    Disney and DeSantis and his allies also are battling in federal court, where the company has sued DeSantis, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law. DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have asked a federal judge to throw out Disney's First Amendment lawsuit, calling it meritless.

    DeSantis currently is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

    Tags:DisneyGov. Ron DeSantis



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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