Husband sues Disney for wife’s death after eating ‘allergy-safe’ restaurant meal

The husband of a New York doctor who died shortly after dining at a Disney Springs restaurant last year accused Walt Disney Parks and Resorts of negligence in a 19-page lawsuit filed in Florida.

Jeffrey Piccolo is seeking in excess of $50,000 US in the wrongful death of Kanokporn Tangsuan, a doctor at New York University Langone hospital in Manhattan, in the lawsuit filed Feb. 22 in Orange County, Fla.

The lawsuit states that Tangsuan had dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub on Oct. 5, 2023, with her husband and his mother. Tangsuan had a severe allergy to nuts and dairy products and informed the waiter that she required “allergen-free food.”

The couple questioned the waiter about various items on the menu, according to the lawsuit. The waiter then asked the chef “whether certain foods could be made allergen-free,” before returning to the table and confirming they could.

The couple asked the waiter several more times to be absolutely sure the food would be allergen-free, before Tangsuan ordered a fritter, scallops and onion rings, the lawsuit said.

When the food arrived, some items did not contain “allergen-free flags,” prompting the doctor and her husband to ask the waiter if the items were indeed nut- and dairy-free. The waiter “guaranteed” the food was allergen-free, the lawsuit said.

Around 8 p.m., after finishing dinner, the doctor and her mother-in-law went shopping separately at Disney Springs, while Piccolo returned to their room with the leftover food, the lawsuit said.

About 45 minutes later, Tangsuan was having difficulty breathing when she entered Planet Hollywood and collapsed to the floor. The lawsuit said she had self-administered an epi-pen while suffering from the allergic reaction.

Her mother-in-law began calling to meet back up with her, but the calls went unanswered, according to the lawsuit. The mother-in-law returned to the hotel, and she called Tangsuan’s phone again. This time someone answered and said Tangsuan had been taken to a hospital.

The doctor died at the hospital, the lawsuit said.

A medical examiner’s investigation determined she died as a result of “anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges Raglan Road failed to educate, train and/or instruct its employees to make sure food was allergen-free.

Walt Disney World and Great Irish Pubs Florida did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit.