Updated: Dec 14, 2016 – 11:19 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. – A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of 250 senior administrative office workers, managers and specialists, accuses Walt Disney Parks and Resorts of laying them off so they could be replaced by foreign employees.

The suit was filed Monday by 30 named plaintiffs and was entered into the record Tuesday, according to court documents.

The lawsuit alleges that about 250 people received notice in October 2014 that on Jan. 31, they would no longer have a job.

The employees being laid off were then responsible for training the people who would be replacing them, the lawsuit said.

All of the new employees were “of Indian national origin,” the suit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, the individuals suing Disney claim they were laid off “based solely on their national origin and race.”

One of the plaintiffs, Leonardo Perrero, testified before Congress in February, breaking down in tears at one point while telling the story of the day he found out his 20-year career with Disney was soon to be over.

“I clearly remember going to the local church pumpkin sale and having to tell the kids we couldn’t buy any that year because of my job,” he said.

The Disney executive who delivered the news told Perrero and others that if they didn’t cooperate by training their replacements, they would get no severance pay, he testified.

“I started to think what kind of American I was becoming,” he said. “Was I going to become part of ruining our country by taking severance pay in exchange for training my foreign replacement? How many other American families would be affected by the same foreign worker that I trained?”

Over the course of 90 days, Perrero and his co-workers trained the foreign workers until the point when they completely took over the position.

“The final period of the 90 days was the most disgraceful and demoralizing, as we had to watch the foreign workers completely take over our jobs,” he said.

The positions affected included an application developer specialist, senior database developer, senior support analyst, principal database administrator, manager of technology, senior data administrator and senior technology analyst, among others.

Word of the lawsuit’s allegations set off a firestorm on social media Wednesday, with reactions ranging from outrage to sadness and then disbelief.

One person who commented on Channel 9’s Facebook page said it was enough for her to stop going to Disney World.

“Glad I saw this before we bought our season pass again this year,” Kathis Volante said. “Guess who will never buy another one.”

Another comment, from Del Johnny, expressed disbelief that something like the lawsuit’s allegations could actually happen.

“This is not right on any level,” he said. “(It) should be illegal.”

Among other things, the lawsuit is seeking reimbursement of lost wages and benefits and reinstatement to a comparable position at the company with back pay plus interest.

As of early Wednesday, Disney had not filed a response to the class-action suit.

Disney did not immediately respond to an email sent early Tuesday seeking comment.

© 2016 Cox Media Group.