Gay Disney Exec Drops Lawsuit Over His 'Dead-End Career Track'

LOS ANGELES, CA — A high-level Disney executive who has been with the company since 1994 has dropped his lawsuit against his employer, which alleged he was put on a "dead-end career track" after his supervisors learned he was gay.

The executive, Joel Hopkins, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021. At that time he was a vice president of production finance, a title he he's held for over 20 years. Hopkins had claimed he received that promotion — his last — around the time that his supervisors learned he was gay.

Hopkins' attorney on Thursday asked a judge that the lawsuit be dismissed "with prejudice," which means it cannot be refiled. The filing doesn't state if Hopkins reached a settlement with Disney.

Disney has denied Hopkins' allegations, stated that he was not entitled to damages and maintained his claims were barred by the statute of limitations.

Hopkins was hired in 1994 as director of production finance for Buena Vista Television. In his first six years at Disney, he was promoted twice. His last promotion was to production finance VP for Touchstone Television, as of 2021 he held that same title at ABC Signature, according to court documents.

Hopkins claimed that he experienced an ongoing pattern of discrimination and was paid less than other department heads. Disney also chose candidates for open positions who had less experience than Hopkins and had not worked for Disney as long as he had. And he was subjected to an "unorthodox hierarchy," where he — a vice president — was reporting to other (straight male) vice presidents, the suit claimed.

Hopkins also claimed he was over-scrutinized, harassed and falsely blamed for issues that were not his responsibility. After his bosses found out about Hopkins was gay, he was put on a "dead-end career track" in which no help was offered from human resources, according to the suit.

City News Service contributed to this report.