COLUMBUS, Ohio — A lawsuit filed against the parent company of Cedar Point by WTOL 11 and sister stations WKYC in Cleveland and WBNS in Columbus is moving forward in the Ohio Supreme Court.
The TEGNA stations filed the lawsuit in July, asking the court to compel Cedar Point to turn over police reports from the last five years.
The action resulted from a four-night investigation in May that found there have been 29 sexual assault allegations involving the park's employee dorms since 2017.
In the months leading up to the series, the Cedar Point Police Department repeatedly refused to turn over any relevant reports from the last five years. The sexual assault reports were obtained from the Sandusky Police Department.
For several years, the Cedar Point Police Department refused media requests for records, claiming it is a private force not subject to public records law.
After the May series, the city of Sandusky stripped police power from the park's force. Before that, however, Cedar Point police had the power to make arrests and many of its officers were trained and certified like other public departments.
In a statement in June, the city said that the transition will be completed by 2023.
In this week's decision, all seven state Supreme Court justices said they wanted to see evidence and hear arguments in the case. Cedar Point wanted the case dismissed.
Evidence from both sides is to be submitted by Nov. 29. Final briefs and replies are due by early January.