A lawsuit against a major theme park is ongoing.
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Melvin Patterson, a “severely deaf” resident of Patterson, California, is suing Six Flags for refusing to accommodate him while visiting the park.
According to the original complaint filed in December 2021, when Mr. Patterson called to arrange accommodations for his family’s visit to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, he said ASL interpreters would not be provided. They said. Patterson was told he needed his own interpreter.
The company also said it “will not issue refunds or cancel memberships despite his refusal to accept him.” Visitors say they can get an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter by calling and requesting it at least a week in advance of their visit.
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Patterson has a “Gold Plus” membership to Six Flags, along with his deaf wife Lorna Rodriguez and their two children. Six Flags attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, but a federal judge rejected the bid.
Patterson sued the theme park company, saying he was “deliberately discriminated against” and that Six Flags “acted with willful indifference to his federally protected rights.”
Six Flags Entertainment owns multiple theme parks across the country. Theme parks are strategically located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Chicago, Buffalo, Washington DC, Baltimore, New York, New Jersey, Lake George and Massachusetts. This includes locations such as Six Flags Magic Mountain and Great Adventures.
Six Flags asked the US District to dismiss the lawsuit, alleging that Patterson had made no “good faith attempt to seek future accommodation in a timely manner.” A judge disagreed and reversed the motion, according to a new report.
“As a result of Defendant’s failure to provide ASL interpreters to Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs received objectively substandard service that was inferior to that provided to the client during the hearing,” Patterson states in the complaint.
Patterson’s attorney, Andrew Rosinski, said: “We are satisfied with the judge’s well-reasoned decision.
Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for updates on this story.
