A Florida family says they were left “shaken up” after allegedly being accused of shoplifting in an incident involving their autistic 7-year-old daughter during their visit to Epic Universe, according to a new report from PEOPLE.
While visiting Super Nintendo World, a major draw for their daughter due to her “fixation” of Mario, the family entered the 1-Up Factory gift shop. There, the child selected a $16 Mario keychain. According to Nikki Daou, the mother and the family’s attorney, Eric “Rick” Block, of Morgan & Morgan, the store was crowded and prompted concerns about her daughter’s sensory overload.
Daou then removed the barcode sticker from the keychain and handed it to her husband, who remained inside the store to complete the purchase, while Daou exited the store with her daughter and the item in hand. Moments later, the family alleges an unidentified Universal employee accused them of shoplifting outside the store.
Despite attempts to explain that the child’s father was still inside with the barcode to pay, Block claims the family was escorted to another location where they were “interrogated” by park officials. The family was then allegedly issued a one-year no-trespass warning and instructed to leave the park immediately.
“It was a traumatizing, and horrible and embarrassing situation, one that we will remember for the rest of our lives,” said Daou
The family later received a letter from Universal’s attorneys demanding a $200 civil penalty for allegedly “intentionally” depriving the park of merchandise without payment. Daou strongly denies the allegation, stating, “Whether it was a dollar, $20 or $500, we wouldn’t have stolen it.”
Block says he has since sent a demand letter to Universal alleging negligence, abuse of process, libel, and false imprisonment. He emphasized that the family is not seeking financial compensation and would instead donate any potential settlement to an autism-focused charity.
“We really just want change. It’s important people understand we’re not asking for money,” Daou says. But, she claims, “I do want people held accountable for not complying with their own Universal guidelines and procedures when it comes to ADA and disabilities.”
Nikki Daou, is a paralegal for Morgan & Morgan. Universal Orlando Resort has not commented at this time.
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