The 84-year-old author of the book “Walt Dreamers Me” is suing the Walt Disney Co., alleging his lifetime membership in the exclusive Club 33 was wrongfully terminated after more than four decades.
Joseph Cosgrove filed the lawsuit against Burbank-based Disney on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court. His allegations include breach of contract, fraud, negligence and defamation. He also wants a court order allowing him to continue receiving his membership benefits with the club. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A Disney representative did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Disney’s Club 33 is a private club in the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland. The club’s entrance is next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant. The entrance has an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it.
Club 33 members and their guests have exclusive access to the club.
Cosgrove was a member for 47 years, the suit states. Unknown to the plaintiff, a woman to whom he provided unaccompanied guest access tickets auctioned them at a charity, the suit states.
The woman admitted she knew she was not supposed to auction the tickets, but did so anyway without Cosgrove’s knowledge, the suit states.
After Disney found out about the auction, Cosgrove’s membership was cancelled immediately, the suit states.
“Gone with the Club 33 membership was a lifetime of hard-earned respect and friendships as well as the very continuity itself in Joseph Cosgrove’s life,” the suit states.
Disney could have placed Cosgrove’s Club 33 membership on hold rather than terminating it so he could have had a chance to explain what happened, according to the lawsuit.
“Certainly a 47-year lifetime membership without any prior incident should not be abruptly terminated without any dispute resolution of any kind,” the suit states. “An unintended one-time use of the Club 33 lifetime membership for a charitable purpose is not such a horrific event as to warrant the sense of outrage exhibited by (Disney).”
The suit states that “Walt Dreamers Me” is a “must read for every fan of Disney. Walking through Disneyland with Joseph Cosgrove and seeing every single employee say ‘Hi’ is like walking with a universally loved member of royalty.”
