According to The Orange County Register, a class action lawsuit from a Knott’s Berry Farm season passholder is going ahead after a United States District Court Judge in Ohio denied a motion on Thursday, April 21st by Knott’s parent company Cedar Fair to dismiss the case.
What’s Happening:
- The lawsuit was brought by Washington state resident Moneva Walker who purchased a 2020 season pass for Knott’s Berry Farm when she lived in California. She was refused a refund when the park was closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The class action plaintiffs argue Cedar Fair refused to offer a prorated refund for a portion of the regularly scheduled season when the theme parks remained closed by the pandemic.
- Cedar Fair countered that season pass disclaimers indicated all sales were final with no refunds or exchanges and operating dates were subject to change without notice.
- Cedar Fair attempted to have the case dismissed, but a U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the case can move forward.
- Judge James Carr said in the ruling that any reasonable passholder would have expected a prorated refund when the Ohio-based Cedar Fair closed its 11 theme parks during the pandemic.
- The ruling notes Cedar Fair didn’t need to knowingly mislead passholders for the company to be liable under Ohio’s consumer protection laws.
- The class action lawsuit could include more than 2 million Cedar Fair season passholders who paid $60 to $200 for their passes, according to the law firm bringing the suit.
- Cedar Fair offered 2020 season passholders an extension through the 2021 season when the pandemic shuttered the company’s theme parks in March 2020.
- Knott’s Berry Farm didn’t reopen until May 2021, after hosting a series of food festivals during the closure.