Disney lawsuit: Husband of Long Island Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan seeks recipe of meal she ate before dying from allergic reaction
Carle Place physician Kanokporn Tangsuan, right, and her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo. Credit: Jeffrey Piccolo
The widower of a Carle Place physician is asking a Florida court to force a Disney Springs restaurant to produce the recipe and ingredients for the meal served to his wife before she died of a fatal allergic reaction in October 2023, court records show.
The Feb. 24 motion is part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed last year in District Court in Orange County, Florida, by Plainview resident Jeffrey Piccolo against Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Disney Springs.
The suit accuses Disney and the restaurant of negligence, saying the waitstaff repeatedly assured his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, 42, that her meal would be allergen free. A medical examiner attributed Tangsuan's death to anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system, the suit states.
As part of the suit, Piccolo's attorneys made more than two dozen document requests to the restaurant, including the recipe and ingredients for all of the food or drink items served to their party on Oct. 5, 2023, the date of his wife's death.
Tangsuan, who was joined at dinner by her husband and his mother, Jackie Piccolo, ordered a broccoli and corn fritter, scallops, onion rings and vegan shepherd's pie, records state.
"Despite receiving multiple representations that the food being served was allergen safe, the decedent was negligently served with food items containing dairy and nut allergens resulting in her death shortly after leaving the restaurant that evening," the suit states.
When the server returned with Tangsuan's food, some items did not have allergen free flags in them, and the couple questioned the server, who again guaranteed the food was allergen free, the suit states.
Tangsuan began having severe difficulty breathing shortly after dinner while shopping at Planet Hollywood and self-administered an EpiPen, the suit states. She later died at a hospital.
In its response, Raglan Road attorneys said they would only agree to the document request if the court imposed an agreed-upon confidentiality order.
"Defendant objects to this request as vague, overbroad and not reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence," the restaurant said in its response. "Additionally, defendant objects to this request as it seeks confidential and proprietary information."
Piccolo attorney Brian Denney said the "motion was filed in order for us to obtain documents that have been previously withheld by Raglan Road."
Lawyers for Raglan Road did not respond to requests for comment. A Disney attorney referred requests to comment to Raglan Road.
Piccolo's attorneys are also asking the judge to force the restaurant to turn over its policies and procedures related to serving and preparing allergen restricted food, including manuals and training programs, and the timecards for all Raglan Road employees working on the day of Tangsuan's death, along with their respective employment files. They are also asking for the lease agreement between Disney and Raglan Road; records of when the deep fryer had last been cleaned and a list of recent customer complaints related to meals containing an allergen.
The company rejected the bulk of the records requests, arguing in many instances that the documents are subject to "copyright, confidentiality and/or proprietary protections."
Piccolo's attorneys have also previously asked the court to test the leftovers of the meal eaten by his wife before her death.
He is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 pursuant to Florida’s wrongful death act, for mental pain and suffering, loss of income and companionship, and medical and funeral expenses.
Tangsuan was a family medicine specialist with NYU Langone's Carle Place office, with expertise in treating sleep apnea, chronic diabetes and high blood pressure.
In August, Disney asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, citing legal language agreed to years earlier when Piccolo signed up for a one-month trial of the Disney+ streaming service that requires users to arbitrate all disputes with the company.
Weeks later, facing a flood of negative media attention following Newsday's story, Disney abandoned its legal strategy of trying to force the case to arbitration, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
The widower of a Carle Place physician is asking a Florida court to force a Disney Springs restaurant to produce the recipe and ingredients for the meal served to his wife before she died of a fatal allergic reaction in October 2023, court records show.
The Feb. 24 motion is part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed last year in District Court in Orange County, Florida, by Plainview resident Jeffrey Piccolo against Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Disney Springs.
The suit accuses Disney and the restaurant of negligence, saying the waitstaff repeatedly assured his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, 42, that her meal would be allergen free. A medical examiner attributed Tangsuan's death to anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system, the suit states.
As part of the suit, Piccolo's attorneys made more than two dozen document requests to the restaurant, including the recipe and ingredients for all of the food or drink items served to their party on Oct. 5, 2023, the date of his wife's death.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- The widower of a Carle Place physician is asking a Florida court to force a Disney Springs restaurant to produce the recipe and ingredients for the meal served to his wife before she died of a fatal allergic reaction.
- The motion is part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed last year by Plainview resident Jeffrey Piccolo against Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Disney Springs.
- The suit accuses Disney and the restaurant of negligence, saying the waitstaff repeatedly assured his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, that her meal would be allergen free.
Tangsuan, who was joined at dinner by her husband and his mother, Jackie Piccolo, ordered a broccoli and corn fritter, scallops, onion rings and vegan shepherd's pie, records state.
"Despite receiving multiple representations that the food being served was allergen safe, the decedent was negligently served with food items containing dairy and nut allergens resulting in her death shortly after leaving the restaurant that evening," the suit states.
When the server returned with Tangsuan's food, some items did not have allergen free flags in them, and the couple questioned the server, who again guaranteed the food was allergen free, the suit states.
Tangsuan began having severe difficulty breathing shortly after dinner while shopping at Planet Hollywood and self-administered an EpiPen, the suit states. She later died at a hospital.
In its response, Raglan Road attorneys said they would only agree to the document request if the court imposed an agreed-upon confidentiality order.
"Defendant objects to this request as vague, overbroad and not reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence," the restaurant said in its response. "Additionally, defendant objects to this request as it seeks confidential and proprietary information."
Piccolo attorney Brian Denney said the "motion was filed in order for us to obtain documents that have been previously withheld by Raglan Road."
Lawyers for Raglan Road did not respond to requests for comment. A Disney attorney referred requests to comment to Raglan Road.
Piccolo's attorneys are also asking the judge to force the restaurant to turn over its policies and procedures related to serving and preparing allergen restricted food, including manuals and training programs, and the timecards for all Raglan Road employees working on the day of Tangsuan's death, along with their respective employment files. They are also asking for the lease agreement between Disney and Raglan Road; records of when the deep fryer had last been cleaned and a list of recent customer complaints related to meals containing an allergen.
The company rejected the bulk of the records requests, arguing in many instances that the documents are subject to "copyright, confidentiality and/or proprietary protections."
Piccolo's attorneys have also previously asked the court to test the leftovers of the meal eaten by his wife before her death.
He is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 pursuant to Florida’s wrongful death act, for mental pain and suffering, loss of income and companionship, and medical and funeral expenses.
Tangsuan was a family medicine specialist with NYU Langone's Carle Place office, with expertise in treating sleep apnea, chronic diabetes and high blood pressure.
In August, Disney asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, citing legal language agreed to years earlier when Piccolo signed up for a one-month trial of the Disney+ streaming service that requires users to arbitrate all disputes with the company.
Weeks later, facing a flood of negative media attention following Newsday's story, Disney abandoned its legal strategy of trying to force the case to arbitration, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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