Amusement park class action overview:
- Who: A 65-year-old former employee of Ohio’s Cedar Point Amusement Park sued its operator.
- Why: The plaintiff alleges the company engaged in age discrimination when it said people ages 30 and older could not live in low-cost company housing.
- Where: The amusement park class action was filed in an Ohio federal court.
A 65-year-old former employee of Ohio’s Cedar Point Amusement Park filed a class action against its operator, alleging the company engaged in age discrimination when it said people ages 30 and older could not live in its low-cost company housing.
Plaintiff Jay Billnitzer filed the class action lawsuit against Cedar Fair LP and its subsidiary, Magnum Management Corp., on Jan. 12 in an Ohio federal court, alleging violations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
In January 2021, Cedar Fair instituted a new policy that expressly prohibited older workers from receiving the benefit of company housing in favor of making the privilege exclusively available to only employees between the ages of 18 and 29, according to the amusement park lawsuit.
Cedar Fair denies low-cost housing to older employees, amusement park lawsuit alleges
Cedar Fair has long offered low-cost worker housing to its seasonal workers to make the opportunity affordable, the lawsuit states.
The housing on offer is free or substantially discounted in on-site dormitories at Cedar Point or nearby, Billnitzer says.
“The company housing benefit saves visiting seasonal employees a substantial amount on rent; makes it much easier for visiting seasonal employees to find housing on a seasonal basis; and is a predominant factor visiting seasonal employees must consider when determining whether or not it is financially viable for them to work at Cedar Point,” the Cedar Point lawsuit says.
When Cedar Fair instituted its new housing policy, it violated the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act as well as Ohio law, the lawsuit alleges.
After he was denied company housing because of his age, Billnitzer filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 300 days of Cedar Fair’s alleged conduct.
On Nov. 18, 2022, the EEOC found there was reasonable cause for the accusation that the company discriminated against him and others by denying housing to older employees, Billnitzer says.
He seeks to represent all employees, former employees or applicants for employment at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio who were denied housing since Jan. 1, 2021, at any dormitory at the park because they were 40 or older.
Billnitzer seeks damages, fees, costs and a court order instructing Cedar Fair to cease its practice of prohibiting visiting seasonal employees over the age of 40 from residing in company housing.
In other amusement park news, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S. Inc. faces a class action lawsuit alleging it has continued to implement a restrictive park reservation system that was put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic even though Florida no longer mandates COVID-19 precautions.
What do you think of the allegations against Cedar Point in this case? Let us know in the comments.
Billnitzer is represented by Chris P. Wido of Spitz at The Employee’s Law Firm.
The Cedar Point class action lawsuit is Jay Billnitzer, et al. v. Cedar Fair LP, et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-00065, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
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