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A doctor from New York University(NYU doctor) died shortly after she ate at one of Disney’s restaurants in Florida — and her bereaved husband is blaming negligent staffers, according to a lawsuit.
Kanokporn Tangsuan, a doctor at the prestigious NYU Langone hospital in Manhattan, died suddenly after having dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Disney Springs on Oct. 5.
Her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, has filed a 19-page lawsuit in Orange County, Fla., circuit court, accusing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts of negligence, noting that Tangsuan had made it clear to the waitstaff that she had nut and dairy allergies.
The staff at the pub insisted they were able to make allergen-free food, after Tangsuan checked multiple times, the suit said.
Tangsuan ordered broccoli and corn fritter, scallops and onion rings.
After dinner, Tangsuan left the restaurant to explore the shopping complex when she began feeling sick.
She entered Planet Hollywood, where she experienced severe difficulty breathing and collapsed.
Though an epi-pen was immediately administered to her, she ultimately died at a local hospital, the lawsuit said.
According to court papers, the medical examiner’s investigation revealed she died as a result of anaphylaxis due to “elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system.”
Court papers claimed that Disney advertises and makes it clear to the public that food allergies and/or the accommodation of persons with food allergies are a “top priority” at its parks and resorts.
The suit alleged Disney “failed to educate, train and/or instruct its employees” to “make sure food indicated as allergen free or requested to be made allergen free, was in fact free of allergens.”
It also stated Disney had “control over the menu of food offered, the hiring and/or training of the wait staff, and the policies and procedures as it pertains to food allergies at Disney Springs restaurants.”
Piccolo is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 pursuant to Florida’s wrongful death act, in addition to mental pain and suffering, loss of income and funeral expenses.
Disney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A man is suing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant after his wife, a New York-based doctor, died suddenly shortly after eating at the restaurant. The 19-page lawsuit alleges the wait staff was negligent toward his wife’s severe food allergies.
According to the lawsuit, Kanokporn Tangsuan, her husband Jeffrey Piccolo and Piccolo’s mother dined at Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs — which is part of the Walt Disney World resort — in October 2023. They chose to eat at the restaurant, the lawsuit states, because they believed it would have proper safeguards against Tangsuan’s severe allergy to dairy and nuts.
The waiter guaranteed the couple that certain foods could be made allergen-free, which the two confirmed “several more times,” according to the lawsuit filed on February 22 in Orange County, Florida. She ordered a vegan fritter, scallops, onion rings and a vegan shepherd’s pie, the lawsuit said.
Some of the food delivered lacked allergen-free flags, but the waiter again guaranteed the food was allergen free, the lawsuit alleged.
NYU doctor tangsuan went shopping in the Disney Springs area
After dinner, Tangsuan went shopping in the Disney Springs area, and began “suffering from a severe acute allergic reaction” while at Planet Hollywood, according to the lawsuit.
Tangsuan “began having severe difficulty breathing and collapsed to the floor,” and 911 was called, according to the lawsuit.
Despite self-administering an Epi-Pen, Tangsuan died from “anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system,” the lawsuit said, attributing the information to a medical examiner’s investigation.
CNN has reached out to Disney for comment.
Brian Denney, an attorney for Piccolo, said his client is “devastated over the premature death of his beloved wife. Amy had a long life in front of her and she and Jeff had plans to start a family. This never should have happened,” Denney said. “Jeff is bringing this case, in part, to prevent a tragedy like this from happening to another family.”
Tangsuan went by the name Amy, the attorney said. An online obituary lists her age as 42.
Tangsuan was a family medicine doctor based in New York, and was associated with multiple hospitals including NYU Langone, according to a doctor profile on US News and World Report.
The lawsuit alleges Raglan Road failed to properly train its staff, that the employees failed to properly warn Tangsuan about allergens in her food, and that the employees failed to prepare the food without allergens as requested several times.
control over the restaurants and policies at Disney Springs.
The lawsuit also alleges negligence by Disney Parks and Resorts, since it has control over the restaurants and policies at Disney Springs.
Piccolo is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 pursuant to Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, as well as damages for mental pain and suffering, loss of companionship and protection, loss of income and medical and funeral expenses.
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