Black former Six Flags employee seeks $25 million over alleged racial discrimination
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Charles Winters claims Black workers received harder assignments, faced closer scrutiny and were excluded from a company event before he was fired.
A former Six Flags employee filed a lawsuit seeking at least $25 million over allegations of racial discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and defamation at California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Charles Winters, a Black Los Angeles County resident, filed a civil complaint July 2 after working as a food service team member at the Valencia, California, park from November 2022 until July 2025, People reported.
He alleges Black employees repeatedly received more strenuous cleaning assignments during slow periods, including scrubbing floors, refrigerators and other surfaces on their hands and knees. White workers, he claims, were more often allowed to remain at cash registers and wait for customers.
Winters also alleges the park favored non-Black employees, citing what he described as the hiring and quick firing of 20 to 30 Black workers over roughly three years. His complaint claims Black staff experienced closer supervision, higher turnover and pressure to upsell souvenirs under threat of discipline.
The lawsuit further alleges that Winters and other Black employees were excluded from a December 2024 Christmas party. He says a supervisor told him the event had been canceled, but he later learned that it took place.
The allegations resemble a $25 million class action filed by Black families who accused Sesame Place performers of ignoring Black children while engaging with white guests. They also echo a Florida workplace case in which a company agreed to pay $50,000 after allegations that Black employees received harder assignments and endured racial slurs.
The case also centers on a June 21, 2025, encounter with a white security guard who questioned why Winters remained at the park about an hour after closing. Winters says he wore an employee badge, showed it to sheriff’s deputies and was allowed to leave before the park suspended him without pay.
Management terminated him July 3, 2025, allegedly for failing to cooperate with security and display his badge. Winters claims park officials knew those accusations were false and circulated them to justify his suspension and dismissal.
The lawsuit requests a jury trial and at least $25 million in damages, including amounts tied to economic losses, physical injuries and emotional distress.
Six Flags declined to comment on the pending litigation.