ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A jury decided on Thursday that Walt Disney World does not owe any money to a woman who said she was beaten up while waiting to ride the Mad Tea Party at the Magic Kingdom.
WFTV reporter Berndt Petersen was in court when jurors agreed that Disney should have predicted there could be a fight and was negligent in providing reasonable security, but they didn't think Aimee Krause should be paid.
Krause quickly headed for an exit a few minutes after the verdict came in.
"Aimee, are you happy with this verdict?" Petersen asked.
Krause did not respond.
Even though the Orange County jury found the company negligent, she will not receive a dime.
"This was not a split verdict or a split decision," said WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer."Any way you construe this, it's a win for Disney."
Krause sued Disney after a fight broke out while boarding the Mad Tea Party ride in May 2007.
Alabama grandmother Victoria Walker was convicted of battery for punching and choking Krause after the women exchanged words while in line. Walker did a few weeks of jail time, while Krause blamed her injuries on Disney.
While the jury agreed the company was negligent by failing to provide reasonable security measures, the panel said it was not a legal cause for damages.
In a statement to WFTV, a Disney spokesperson said: "We're pleased we won this case. Our attraction host and security cast members responded appropriately and quickly in this situation."
Sheaffer said he did not believe the theme park could have prevented what happened around the tea cups.
"You cannot provide enough personnel or security to stop a spontaneous fight where someone is injured in the twinkling of an eye. That's not reasonable," Sheaffer said.
The trial lasted for eight days. It took the jury three hours to make its decision.