Disney Sued Over Doctor’s Allergy Death After Meal at Resort Restaurant

The husband of a Long Island doctor who died of a severe allergic reaction after eating at a Disney World restaurant is suing the Walt Disney Company and the restaurant, saying his wife had been served allergens despite assurances that she would not be.

The doctor, Kanokporn Tangsuan, died in October after dining with her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, at the restaurant, the Raglan Road Irish Pub, in a section of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., according to Mr. Piccolo’s lawsuit, which was filed on Feb. 22.

Dr. Tangsuan, 42, of Carle Place, N.Y., was a family medicine specialist affiliated with N.Y.U. Langone Hospital Long Island. She and Mr. Piccolo were visiting Disney World with Mr. Piccolo’s mother when Dr. Tangsuan died, according to the lawsuit.

Brian R. Denney, a lawyer for Mr. Piccolo, said in a statement that Dr. Tangsuan’s death had been “totally preventable.” The couple, Mr. Denney said, “trusted Disney’s Raglan Road to follow proper protocols and make good on their repeated promises to serve food that was allergen free.”

Inquiries sent to Disney and the restaurant seeking comment were not immediately returned.

As described in the suit, the events leading to Dr. Tangsuan’s death unfolded as follows:

She, Mr. Piccolo and Mr. Piccolo’s mother went to the Raglan Road pub for dinner on Oct. 5. Dr. Tangsuan was severely allergic to dairy and nuts, and she and her husband chose the restaurant because, based on advertising in which Disney indicated that accommodation of people with food allergies was a priority at its resorts, they believed it would have the necessary safeguards to protect people with such allergies.

When a waiter came to their table, the couple told him about Dr. Tangsuan’s food allergies, said she required allergen-free food and asked whether various menu items contained allergens.