Mouse House Mayhem: Disney Employee Fired for Allegedly Hacking Menus to Deceive Peanuts Fans
Former Disney Employee Accused of Hacking Menu System to Falsely Claim Certain Foods Were Safe for Peanut Allergies
A former Disney employee, Michael Scheuer, has been accused of hacking into the company’s menu creation software to falsely indicate that certain foods did not contain peanuts, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Scheuer, who worked as a menu creation manager at Walt Disney World, was responsible for creating and publishing menus for the company’s entire restaurant portfolio. However, he was fired in June over allegations of misconduct, which he claims was unfriendly and controversial.
Despite being fired, Scheuer allegedly continued to access the software through his personal devices and made changes to menu prices and added profanity over a three-month period. More concerning, however, were the changes he made to allergen information on the menu, which could have jeopardized public health and safety.
According to the complaint, Scheuer manipulated the allergen information on the menus by adding false information to some allergen notices, indicating that certain menu items were safe for individuals with peanut allergies when they were not. This could have been fatal for those with peanut allergies.
Federal agents searched Scheuer’s home on September 23 and seized four personal computers. Scheuer has denied any wrongdoing and claims that Disney is trying to frame him because they were concerned about him and the terms under which he was fired.
Scheuer’s attorney, David Haas, stated that the allegations acknowledge that no one was injured or harmed. Haas also mentioned that Scheuer has a disability that he believes contributed to his dismissal from Disney and that Disney did not respond to his inquiries about his termination.
Scheuer has filed a complaint with the EEOC about his termination, and Haas looks forward to presenting his client’s position.
Disney has not responded to requests for comment on the matter.