Ohio’s Cedar Point Amusement Park Fined $50K in Age Discrimination Suit

An Ohio will pay $50,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.

Cedar Fair, L.P., doing business as Cedar Point, and Magnum Management Corporation, which own, operate, and staff the Sandusky, Ohio-based Cedar Point amusement park provided housing at significantly below-market rates for out-of-town seasonal employees, EEOC’s lawsuit alleges.

During Cedar Point’s 2021 and 2022 seasons, Cedar Fair and Magnum implemented a policy prohibiting employees aged 30 and older, other than entertainers, from living in employee housing. As a result, older out-of-town workers could not resume their seasonal employment at Cedar Point, given the economic barriers created by the housing ban, the EEOC alleged. The housing policy was rescinded at the start of the 2023 season.

Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits the denial of equal terms, conditions, and/or privileges of employment, based on an individual’s age (40 years and older).

The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to providing former employees monetary relief, the five-year consent decree settling the suit provides for systemic non-monetary relief intended to prevent further age discrimination, including a commitment that Cedar Fair and Magnum will continue to utilize a housing policy that will not discriminate against employees age 40 and older.

Cedar Fair and Magnum will implement a revised ADEA policy, and provide training on the ADEA for management personnel responsible for employment decisions and policies for Cedar Point, as well as individuals responsible for managing and implementing the housing benefits and policies for Cedar Point.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Ohio