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Cedar Fair COVID Refund Class Action Overview:
- Who: Pass holders for Cedar Fair amusement parks are suing the company.
- Why: The pass holders say they should get refunds for 2020 season passes when the season was shortened by COVID-19 closures.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in an Ohio federal court.
Claims lodged against Cedar Fair by amusement park season pass holders who say their 2020 season was cut short with no refund can proceed, an Ohio federal judge has ruled.
On Apr. 21, U.S. District Judge James G. Carr filed a denial of Cedar Fair’s motion to dismiss claims brought against it under the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act.
In his decision, Carr stated that he did not agree that Cedar Fair’s disclosures about refunds, stating there would be no refunds regardless of the season being cut short, were clear to a reasonable consumer.
“I conclude that, for this stage in the proceeding, plaintiffs have adequately pled that a reasonable purchaser might not have understood the disclaimers to mean that Cedar Fair would not provide any compensation if it closed its parks for all or a substantial part of the season,” he wrote.
He added that the plaintiffs had also pleaded adequately that Cedar Fair did not fairly explain to consumers its intent if a force majeure caused it to close its parks. Overall, the lawsuit can continue for now, he ruled.
Cedar Fair Class Action Plaintiffs Allege They Did Not Receive Season Pass Benefits
According to plaintiff Moneva Walker’s Cedar Fair class action lawsuit, initially filed in September 2020, she and other season pass holders deserve refunds for their 2020 purchases.
Walker reportedly purchased a 2020 season pass to Knott’s Berry Farm when she lived in California.
The park allegedly closed in mid-March with no reopening date set. As a result, Walker claims did not get the benefits she expected when she purchased a 2020 season pass.
Season passes are significant expenses for consumers like herself, she alleges. Regular or silver passes reportedly range from $60 to $100 for a year, gold passes run between $80 and $120 and platinum passes, which allow unlimited access to all Cedar Fair parks, are around $200.
Walker argues that, when she and other season pass holders paid these fees, they entered into a contract with Cedar Fair in which the park operator agreed to provide “unlimited visits” “all season long” (i.e., visit “as many times as you want all season”) for the promised year.
Although Cedar Fair agreed to extend 2020 season passes to the 2021 park season, Walker argued that she and other season pass holders deserved the option to refund their 2020 season pass instead of just having their passes extended.
Cedar Fair owns 17 parks in numerous states.
What do you think of the claims in this case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The Cedar Fair Season Pass Class Action Lawsuit is Moneva Walker v. Cedar Fair L.P., et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-02176-JZ, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
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5 thoughts onCedar Fair Class Action Claims Theme Park Owes Refunds Due To COVID Closures
I purchased 3 gold passes for 2020 in 2019 to Cedar Point. I live in Canada and was unable to cross the border. I am hoping to be added to the class action suit. Thank you
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