Doctor’s Death, Severe Nut Allergy Process, and Class Action Waiver

Jeffrey J. Piccolo filed a wrongful death lawsuit after his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, died after she consumed food containing allergens at a restaurant in Disney World.

Piccolo is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 pursuant to Florida’s wrongful death act, in addition to mental pain and suffering, loss of income and funeral expenses.


According to court papers, the medical examiner’s investigation revealed she died as a result of anaphylaxis due to “elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system.”

🕵🏻 This is the process of severe nut allergies:

🔎 Immune system overreacts → histamine → swelling, difficulty breathing, drop in blood pressure → anaphylaxis (a life-threatening condition) → organs start to fail → death.

The immune system's overreaction to nuts leads to the release of histamine, causing severe symptoms like swelling and difficulty breathing.

This can escalate to anaphylaxis, where organs can fail, potentially leading to death if not treated promptly.

They asked several times whether Tangsuan's allergies could be accommodated, according to the complaint.

Despite the server’s having assured them, Tangsuan had a severe allergic reaction and died at a local hospital, the complaint said.

Despite the server’s having assured them, Tangsuan had a severe allergic reaction and died at a local hospital, the complaint said.


Disney is asking a Florida court to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it by Jeffrey Piccolo, the husband of Kanokporn Tangsuan, a family medicine specialist with NYU Langone’s office in Carle Place, on Long Island.

The company argues Piccolo had agreed to settle any lawsuits against Disney out of court through the arbitration process when he signed up for a one-month trial of Disney+ in 2019 and acknowledged that he had reviewed the fine print.

“The Terms of Use, which were provided with the Subscriber Agreement, include a binding arbitration clause,” the company wrote in its motion.
“The first page of the Subscriber Agreement states, in all capital letters, that ‘any dispute between You and Us, Except for Small Claims, is subject to a class action waiver and must be resolved by individual binding arbitration’.”