A federal jury in Philadelphia has ruled in favor of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the company that owns Sesame Place, a popular theme park in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The jury found no evidence of racial discrimination against Black and Hispanic guests who alleged that costumed characters at the park intentionally ignored their children. The verdict came after a little over two hours of deliberation on Wednesday.
The lawsuit, which sought more than $50 million in damages, was filed in 2022 after a video went viral on social media. The video, posted by Brooklyn resident Jodi Brown, appeared to show a costumed park performer dressed as the "Rosita" character from "Sesame Street" ignoring her daughter and niece, who are Black, while interacting with guests of other races. The video sparked widespread criticism and led to calls for a boycott of Sesame Place.
Following the video, other families came forward with similar claims, leading to the filing of a class-action lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit alleged a "pervasive and appalling race discrimination against children of color at the park," a violation of federal and Pennsylvania laws. However, the attempt to certify the case as a class action was rejected earlier this year, and claims for four plaintiffs were dismissed.
In response to the allegations, Sesame Place announced comprehensive initiatives including employee anti-bias training and a racial equity assessment. The park stated that all employees completed a "substantive training and education program" in 2022 following the allegations.
In a statement released after the verdict, SeaWorld said it was pleased that the jury saw the facts presented at trial demonstrated that the company "treats our guests equally." The company added, "We want every guest at our park to feel welcomed and safe when they visit us and to be able to see and feel aspects of themselves in the experiences we create." (Phillyburbs)
