ORLANDO, Fla. (WKMG) – A family says they went to Epic Universe to celebrate their daughter’s birthday, but it resulted in them being escorted out of the park by deputies.
Mother Nikki Daou said they visited the park last month, with her daughter turning 7 years old. She says she registered her daughter with Universal’s disability access program as she has autism and is nonverbal.
However, after several hours of enjoying the park, the mother says things took a turn for the worse when they entered a Mario-themed gift store.
“We saw a little Mario key chain, and she got excited. I handed her the key chain, and she clung to it,” Daou said.
According to the mother, moments later, the store became crowded with shoppers, and her daughter became agitated, so she took her outside
Daou said her husband decided to have them wait outside while he went back in the store.
According to Daou, her husband took the tag off the key chain and kept it with him inside, with the intent to pay for it. But moments after walking outside the store, she was approached by security.
Daou said she told security her husband was inside the gift store and was going to pay for the $16 key chain, but she was still taken to a security office.
“He came back in and said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office is on the way to escort you off the premises. You are hereby trespassed for a year,” Daou said, security told her. “ We are also going to be sending you a fine in the mail.”
Daou has since hired an attorney, Eric Block with Morgan and Morgan, who said he’s submitted a demand letter to Universal.
“Did they give her an apology? They say we overreacted … or did we see your husband was trying to pay? No. They actually sent her a letter of demand for money, accusing her of retail theft,” Block said.
Daou said Universal isn’t considering her daughter’s disability, which caused her to walk out of the store.
“I don’t think that they considered it at all,” the mother said.
Universal representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the situation.
Daou said she hopes this doesn’t happen to any other families.
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