A doctor died after eating at a Disney World restaurant and the staff confirmed food was allergen-free, lawsuit alleges

By Ramishah Maruf and Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN

New York (CNN) — 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 after eating at the restaurant. The lawsuit alleges the waitstaff was negligent and was aware of 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 serving Tangsuan dairy and nuts, which she was allergic to.

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.

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.

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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