Cedar Point Pays $50,000 to Settle Age Discrimination Lawsuit

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement of an age discrimination lawsuit filed against Cedar Point’s parent company, Cedar Fair. Cedar Fair is responsible for paying a former employee $50,000 for unlawful discrimination against the employee.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Cedar Fair provided housing for out-of-town seasonal employees at below-market rates. However, during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Cedar Fair implemented a policy that didn’t allow employees over the age of 40 (except entertainers) to live in the housing, according to the lawsuit.

As a result of this policy, out-of-town workers 40 and older could not take positions with the company due to “economic barriers” created by the policy. Officials indicate that the housing policy was rescinded at the start of the 2023 season.

The lawsuit alleged that Cedar Fair’s conduct violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits an employer from offering benefits to one employee while discriminating against others based on age.   It would be akin to preventing Black employees from securing housing based on their race or color. In other words, the law requires employers to provide equal terms and conditions of employment regardless of age.

In addition to monetary relief for former employees who were impacted by the age barrier, the five-year consent decree Cedar Fair signed with the EEOC requires the company to provide “systemic non-monetary relief intended to prevent further age discrimination, including a commitment that Cedar Fair will continue to utilize a housing policy that does not discriminate against older employees.”  They will also need to implement a revised ADEA policy, provide training on the ADEA for management personnel responsible for employment decisions, and ensure that their policies conform with federal law.

Analyzing the lawsuit 

Essentially, the lawsuit against Cedar Fair alleged that the company provided a benefit to some employees but excluded others based on a protected characteristic, i.e., age.   Age is one of several characteristics that are protected by both federal and state civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace.   Similarly, an employer may not offer a benefit to white employees that Black employees cannot also take advantage of. The same is true for older employees. An employer may not offer a benefit to only employees who are under the age of 40. The policy that Cedar Fair had in place unfairly discriminated against employees who were 40 years of age and older. The EEOC filed suit and settled the case for $50,000, to be distributed to the  employees who were denied employment due to the policy.

Call a Tampa, FL Employment Discrimination Lawyer Today 

Florin Gray represents the rights of employees who have been unfairly discriminated against in the workplace. If your company has instituted a policy that impacts individuals aged 40 and over, then it may be in violation of federal law protecting older employees from discrimination. Call our Tampa employment lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin investigating your case right away.

Source:

wkyc.com/article/news/local/northeast-ohio/cedar-point-cedar-fair-lawsuit-eeoc/95-97d0a454-3ce6-4424-8504-39edc95d2175