DOCUMENT: Bizarre, Florida, Funny

Grope Claim Against Donald Duck

Woman charges beloved Disney character got handsy

Donald Duck

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Donald Duck Complaint

AUGUST 10--While visiting Epcot Center in Florida, a Pennsylvania woman alleges that a Disney employee dressed as Donald Duck grabbed her breast and molested her after she sought an autograph.

After the alleged groping, Donald Duck made gestures--apparently with his snowy white hands—“indicating he had done something wrong,” according to a lawsuit filed last month by April Magolon. The Upper Darby woman, 27, was visiting Epcot with her children and fiancé in May 2008 when the incident reportedly occurred.

Magolon, pictured at right, is suing Disney for negligence, battery, and infliction of emotional distress, and is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages. The entertainment giant has petitioned to have the lawsuit, which was filed in Pennsylvania’s Court of Common Pleas, transferred to federal court in Philadelphia.

According to Magolon’s complaint, she has suffered “severe physical injury, emotional anguish and distress including, but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder” as a result of the run-in with Donald Duck. She also contends that the incident was “one of a long line of continuing, long standing, similar prior incidents” involving the groping of patrons by costumed Disney employees. (4 pages)

Comments (105)

First she waits 2 years, severe physical injury from being groped? post-traumatic stress disorder, Solders get this from being in a war zone and seeing death and destruction, she gets it from from a Duck grabbing her butt? sounds to me like she just looking for a payday!
My family has gone to Disney many times and we always gets hugs from the Costume Characters. First of all they cannot see very well through the opening of the window in the head area. The Donald Head may have the view window in the mouth area, I'm not sure. So the people in the costumes can only feel around when they go to put their arms around people for Photos and or video shots. To say the Donald person was groping or feeling-up this person is kinda crazy. First of all, if the Duck did touch her Brest by accident, in the first 3 seconds of it the person could have just walked away. But for her to say it went on for a long time begs the question? Why did she stay there longer than 5 seconds if she thought there was a Perv in the suit feeling her-up? And for the Duck to throw the hands up in the air like "Sorry" I'm sure the worker was just that, sorry for the bump. It seems the economy is so bad that many people are just filing lawsuits to get some money. I believe it will be a hard case to win, the viability in the suit is very poor to begin with. And what do you want Disney to do, have no contact with the Characters just to avoid lawsuits? Then the Kids miss out on the fun interacting with Mickey, Minnie, Donald etc.
Those hands, those big white feathery hands!!! Ahhh...
Well, perhaps some mental stress but it sounds like she is going for permanent disability. What a crock! Is being groped by a giant duck more traumatic than being groped by a human?
I want a divorce!