A former Six Flags Magic Mountain food server who was once honored as “Employee of the Month” is suing the California theme park for $25 million, claiming he endured years of racial discrimination before being suspended and fired.
Charles Winters, who is Black, alleges in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles that he was treated differently from white workers while employed at the park’s Big Belly Burger restaurant between 2022 and 2025.
Among his most striking claims, Winters says Black employees were falsely told that the company Christmas party had been canceled.
According to the lawsuit, Winters first learned about the event after seeing a notice posted on an employee bulletin board. When he asked a supervisor about it, he was allegedly told the party was no longer happening.
Two Black coworkers reportedly said they had received the same explanation. Winters later discovered that the Christmas party had gone ahead as planned, the lawsuit claims.
Winters also alleges that Black food service workers were regularly assigned more physically demanding cleaning duties during periods of “down time,” while white employees were allowed to remain near the cash registers.
“Often, Defendant’s African-American employees would be on their hands and knees cleaning the floor, refrigerators, counters and various other areas, while Defendant’s white employees were given the less strenuous job of waiting at the cash register,” the court documents state.
The lawsuit also claims that Winters and other Black employees faced greater scrutiny over their appearance and uniforms.
“Plaintiff’s supervisors would constantly check that Plaintiff’s uniform shirt was tucked in, much more so than they did for other employees,” the filing alleges.
Winters further claims that he and other Black workers were pressured to upsell souvenirs and faced disciplinary action when they failed to do so, while non-Black employees were not subjected to the same treatment.
Despite those alleged problems, Winters was named “Employee of the Month” in August 2023.
He says he eventually approached a high-level manager to report the alleged discrimination and request a transfer 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,” the lawsuit states.
Winters also described a confrontation that allegedly occurred on June 21, 2025, as he was leaving the park after finishing work.
According to the lawsuit, a white security guard stopped him and immediately demanded to know why he was inside the park. Winters claims there was no legitimate reason to question him and alleges that he was singled out because of his race.
Security then contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the filing says.
Winters allegedly showed responding deputies his employee identification badge, confirming that he worked at the park and was not trespassing. However, Magic Mountain’s loss prevention team still confiscated the badge, according to the lawsuit.
He was later suspended and ultimately fired on July 3, 2025.
Winters claims the company accused him of refusing to cooperate with security and failing to show his badge, allegations he disputes.
The former employee is seeking $25 million in damages, arguing that the firing cost him wages, benefits, future earning potential and other employment opportunities.