Six Flags Entertainment Corp. was sued by a 67-year-old Canyon Country man who alleges he was denied promotions given instead to younger employees and wrongfully terminated from Magic Mountain for seeking accommodations for an on-the-job injury that constituted a disability.
According to plaintiff Andrew Pereira’s Chatsworth Superior Court lawsuit, it was not until about a month after his Aug. 1 termination that human resources told him that his complaints against his supervisors merited an investigation.
Along with wrongful termination and retaliation, he alleges disability discrimination, failure to take all steps to prevent discrimination and failure to accommodate and engage in the interactive process.
Pereira seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit brought Monday. A Magic Mountain spokeswoman said Tuesday that the Valencia theme park does not comment on pending litigation.
Pereira was hired as a food and beverage server in September 2023. Despite his experience, the plaintiff was repeatedly denied promotions to lead positions in favor of substantially younger, less qualified candidates, a practice that was allegedly routine at Magic Mountain, the suit states.
Pereira reported to his supervisors serious violations of OSHA safety standards, including exposed wires laying in puddles of water that once caused an electrical shock to the plaintiff when he stepped into a puddle, according to the suit, which further alleges that nothing was done by his own management team.
In January, Pereira suffered an on-the-job injury that is not described in the lawsuit, but that he contends brought him increased scrutiny because of his work limitations. Pereira was fired Aug. 1 and given the excuse that he had been insubordinate, according to the suit, in which the plaintiff further contends that Magic Mountain never tried to accommodate him for his injury.
Pereira has suffered emotional distress as well as lost wages and benefits, the suit states.