Dr. James Brent – Disney and the Law

Please join us for a live-streamed event on February 25, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. with San Jose State University Professor James Brent when he will present on Disney and the law.

You may register for this event by following the link at the bottom of this page.

Disneyland professes to be the happiest place on earth.

But not everyone is happy.

An Arizona couple were members of Disney’s exclusive Club 33 in Anaheim California. They visited the theme park 60 to 80 times a year. Club 33 is a private club in the park with a wood-paneled trophy room and other amenities. The club’s yearly dues were $31,500, and with travel and hotel expenses, the couple was spending close to $125,000 annually to go to the park. That all ended in 2017, when Disney revoked their membership in the club after an allegation that Scott, the husband, was drunk in public. The couple reportedly paid $400,000 in a lawsuit seeking, inter alia, reinstatement to the club. They lost.

Join us on February 25, 2026 when Dr. James Brent discusses how the Magic Kingdom has defended itself on many legal fronts over the years and, to date, has largely been victorious.

Dr. James Brent joined the San Jose State University faculty in 1994. James is a native of Southern California who received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising from Southern Methodist University in 1988. Dr. Brent received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Ohio State University in 1995. He has published articles on judicial politics in journals such as American Politics Quarterly, Justice System Journal, American Politics Review, and the Southeastern Political Review, as well as editing a reader in American government and co-authoring a chapter in The Internet Upheaval by M.I.T. Press. He served as chair of the SJSU Academic Senate from 2001 to 2003. He was department chair from July 2006 to June 2012. His heroes include former Supreme Court Justices William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall.