Key Takeaways
- Former Six Flags Magic Mountain food service worker Charles Winters is suing the park for at least $20 million, claiming he was racially discriminated against, retaliated against, defamed, and wrongfully fired despite being named Employee of the Month in August 2023.
- Winters alleges Black employees were repeatedly targeted by security for badge checks, pushed into more physically demanding cleaning work, excluded from a 2024 Christmas party, and fired at far higher rates than non-Black staff before he was terminated in 2025 over what he calls fabricated security-cooperation claims.
- Six Flags has declined to comment on the pending case, which comes as the company absorbs a $1.5 billion write-down tied to weak performance, carries more than $5 billion in debt after its merger with Cedar Fair, and deals with recent incidents such as a bomb threat at Magic Mountain.
Six Flags is facing a legal battle after a former Six Flags Magic Mountain employee filed a $20 million lawsuit accusing the amusement park of racial discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination.
According to My News LA, the complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges Charles Winters was repeatedly singled out because he is Black before being fired in 2025 over what he says were fabricated claims that he refused to cooperate with park security.
Winters says he joined Six Flags Magic Mountain in November 2022 as a food service employee and spent most of his time working at the park's Big Belly Burger. Despite earning Employee of the Month honors in August 2023, the lawsuit alleges management subjected him to "repeated and consistent discrimination and/or harassment" throughout his employment.
He is seeking at least $20 million in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages, on claims including discrimination, retaliation, defamation, and wrongful termination.
According to the complaint, security officers routinely demanded Winters show his employee badge even while he was in uniform—a requirement he alleges was not imposed on non-Black employees.
The lawsuit also claims Black workers were regularly assigned physically demanding cleaning jobs while white employees were more often placed at cash registers.
It further alleges that 20 to 30 Black employees were hired and quickly fired during Winters' tenure, while non-Black employees experienced lower turnover.
The complaint also says Black employees were excluded from the park's 2024 Christmas party after allegedly being told the event had been canceled.
A spokesperson for Six Flags Magic Mountain declined to comment, saying the park does not discuss pending litigation. The lawsuit alleges Winters was suspended in June 2025 after complaining about discriminatory treatment and terminated a month later.
Management allegedly told him he was being fired for failing to show his badge to security—a claim Winters says was false.
The lawsuit lands at a difficult time for Six Flags. Earlier this year, the company disclosed that Six Flags Magic Mountain had lost more than $533 million in estimated value as part of a $1.5 billion non-cash write-down tied to weaker-than-expected revenue and attendance.
The company is also carrying more than $5 billion in debt following its merger with Cedar Fair, prompting agreements to sell seven parks and other restructuring efforts.
