SANDUSKY, Ohio — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit Friday accusing Cedar Fair, the owner of Cedar Point in Sandusky, of violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) by banning seasonal workers aged 40 and older from employer-provided housing.
According to the EEOC, Cedar Fair and Magnum Management Corporation provide housing "at significantly below-market rates for out-of-town seasonal employees."
However in 2021, the EEOC says Cedar Fair implemented a policy prohibiting most employees ages 30 and older from living in employee housing. "Given the economic barriers created by the housing ban, older out-of-town workers could not resume their seasonal employment at Cedar Point," the EEOC alleges.
The EEOC adds that the alleged "conduct violates the ADEA, which prohibits the denial of equal terms, conditions, and/or privileges of employment, based on an individual’s age (40 years and older)."
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division, after the EEOC says it first attempted "to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process."