A former Six Flags Magic Mountain food service worker, once recognized by the park as “Employee of the Month,” has filed a $25 million lawsuit accusing the Southern California theme park of racial discrimination and wrongful termination tied to his job at Big Belly Burger.
Charles Winters, who is Black, alleges in a Los Angeles court filing that he was subjected to discriminatory treatment while employed at Six Flags Magic Mountain between 2022 and 2025. One of the claims centers on a company Christmas party that Winters says Black employees were told had been canceled.
According to the lawsuit, Winters first noticed information about the holiday party on an employee bulletin board and asked a supervisor about it. He claims the supervisor told him the event was canceled. Two other Black coworkers allegedly received the same explanation, but Winters later learned the party took place as scheduled, the complaint says.
Winters also claims that during slower periods, when food service employees were expected to clean, Black workers at Magic Mountain were assigned more physically demanding tasks than their white colleagues. The theme park is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Court documents allege that African-American employees were frequently required to get “on their hands and knees” to clean floors, refrigerators, counters and other areas, while white employees were allegedly assigned lighter duties such as standing by the cash register.
The complaint further claims that Winters and other African-American workers faced heightened scrutiny over their appearance. Supervisors allegedly checked whether Winters’ uniform shirt was tucked in far more often than they did with other employees, according to the lawsuit.
Winters also alleges that he and other Black employees were pressured to upsell souvenirs and faced discipline when they did not meet those expectations, while non-African-American employees were allegedly not held to the same standard.
Despite being named “Employee of the Month” in August 2023, Winters says he eventually brought his concerns about alleged racial discrimination to a senior manager and asked to be transferred to another position.
“This high level manager informed Plaintiff that he could not be transferred and that he would just have to deal with any issues he had,” according to the lawsuit.
Winters detailed another alleged incident from June 21, 2025 when he was leaving the park after work and was stopped by a white security guard.
The guard immediately questioned why he was in the park “without justification.” Winters alleges he was singled out because he is black, prompting security to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, according to the lawsuit.
The suit says Winters showed deputies his employee badge, confirming he was an employee and not a trespasser. Despite that, Magic Mountain’s loss prevention team allegedly confiscated his badge.
Winters was suspended and fired on July 3, 2025, with the company allegedly claiming he failed to cooperate with security and refused to show his badge.
He is seeking $25 million in damages, alleging he lost wages, benefits, future earning potential and other employment opportunities.
Six Flags Magic Mountain did not immediately respond to The California Post’s request for comment.
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