A federal judge ruled in favor of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday by tossing out a lawsuit from Disney who was legally challenging Florida’s parental rights legislation.

The media conglomerate filed the lawsuit in March 2022 after losing special district privilege for criticizing DeSantis over his passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act, which restricted the provision of graphic books and those on gender ideology to children in public schools.

Speaking out against the bill, Disney’s CEO called it “a challenge to basic human rights.”

In response, the state’s legislature revoked the company’s special district status. The company in turn filed its lawsuit, claiming that the decision to strip away its special status was retaliatory and an infringement on its right to free speech.

However, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor ruled on Wednesday that Disney had no ground to stand on in its allegations against DeSantis.

In his 17-page ruling, Winsor wrote, “Disney has not alleged any specific actions the new board took (or will take) because of the Governor’s alleged control. In fact, Disney has not alleged any specific injury from any board action.”

“Its alleged injury, as discussed above, is its operating under a board it cannot control. That injury would exist whether or not the Governor controlled the board, meaning an injunction precluding the Governor from influencing the board would not redress Disney’s asserted injury,” the judge added.

Reacting to the ruling on Wednesday, Disney revealed plans to appeal the ruling.

“This is an important case with serious implications for the rule of law, and it will not end here. If left unchallenged, this would set a dangerous precedent and give license to states to weaponize their official powers to punish the expression of political viewpoints they disagree with. We are determined to press forward with our case,” the company said in a statement.

On the other hand, DeSantis’ camp is pleased with the outcome, with the former presidential candidate’s spokesperson Jeremy Redfern saying, “The days of Disney controlling its own government and being placed above the law are long gone. Disney is still just one of many corporations in the state, and they do not have a right to their own special government.”

While DeSantis has abandoned his efforts on the parental rights law, he received a good amount of controversy on the left and the mainstream media, as the bill was referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.