SerpApi.Org
Charles Winters claims he saw the hiring and quick firing of 20 to 30 Black employees in less than three years at the Valencia, Calif. theme park
NEED TO KNOW
- Charles Winters alleges he faced racial discrimination and harassment during his employment at Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Winters claims Black employees were assigned more strenuous tasks and excluded from workplace events
- The lawsuit seeks $25 million in damages for discrimination, retaliation and/or wrongful termination and defamation
A former Six Flags Magic Mountain employee is suing the park and its parent company for $25 million after he claims he was racially discriminated against and wrongfully terminated.
Los Angeles County resident Charles Winters filed a civil complaint against the Valencia, Calif., park on July 2, according to a Los Angeles Superior Court filing obtained by PEOPLE. During his employment, from November 2022 until July 2025, Winters, who is African American, claims he was subjected to “repeated and consistent discrimination and/or harassment” based on his “race, ethnicity and/or national origin.”
As part of his duties as a food service team member, Winters alleges he was often tasked with cleaning during downtime. He claims it often required him and his African American coworkers to “be on their hands and knees” to clean the floor, refrigerators and other surfaces. However, he claims his White counterparts “were given the less strenuous job of waiting at the cash register for any customers that came.”
Winters claims that during his tenure, the park displayed a “distinct preference for non-African American employees,” citing the alleged hiring and quick firing of 20 to 30 African American employees over the course of three years. He says non-African American employees did not see the same high turnover rate.
He further alleges that in December 2024, the company was throwing a Christmas party to which neither Winters nor his African American colleagues were invited. It wasn’t until he saw a notice posted to an employee bulletin board that he learned of the event, Winters claims. When he asked a supervisor about the party, they allegedly said it had been cancelled. However, Winters claims he later learned from a coworker that the party did in fact take place.
In January 2025, Winters claims African American employees were “subject to micromanagement which non-African American employees were not subject to.” He alleges African American employees were pushed to upsell souvenirs and even “threatened” with “discipline” if they failed to do so.
On June 21, 2025, Winters says he stayed about an hour after the park closed and left the property through the employee wardrobe department. As he was exiting, he claims a White security guard asked him a “deluge of questions” about his reasoning for being at the park, even though Winters says he was wearing an employee badge around his neck. He says “it was clear” the security guard “was subjecting him to such offensive scrutiny just because he was African American.”
He claims the confrontation escalated to the point where the security guard requested members of the Sheriff’s department be called “for no legitimate reason.” After showing them his badge, the officers said he was free to leave, per Winters. He claims he went on to report the conduct to the park’s HR department.
Winters claims he was eventually suspended without pay while the park determined what actually occurred. On July 3, 2025, Winters says he returned to work but was informed by management that he was being terminated because he “allegedly failed to cooperate with security and had failed to show his badge.”
Winters claims the park, including two managers named as defendants, knew he had done nothing wrong. However, he alleges they “maliciously and unlawfully communicated and published the false statements to a number of third parties, including other managers, human resources personnel and other employees so as to facilitate Plaintiff’s suspension and, then, his wrongful termination.”
Winters’ complaint names Magic Mountain, its parent company Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, and two managers identified as Jose and Keith Doe as defendants. The lawsuit alleges discrimination based on race, retaliation and/or wrongful termination and defamation, among other claims.
Winters is requesting a trial by jury and is seeking damages in the amount of at least $25 million including $5 million for general damages, $5 million for special damages, $5 million for actual, consequential and incidental damages, $5 million for past and/or future economic damages and $5 million for past and/or future physical injuries, emotional distress, etc.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
PEOPLE has reached out to Winters’ attorneys for comment. A Six Flags spokesperson tells PEOPLE the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Read the original article on People
