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Ohio Supreme Court says no refunds for Cedar Point passholders for shortened 2020 season

By Karen Kasler

Published October 21, 2022 at 4:53 AM EDT

Cedar Point midway with coasters in the background at dusk [Facebook / Cedar Point] — Cedar Point midway with coasters in the background at dusk

A unanimous Ohio Supreme Court says Cedar Point didn’t violate the terms that season passholders agree to when the park had to shut down in 2020 because of COVID. The ruling means the passholders can’t sue for refunds over the two months the park wasn’t open.

Ohio’s largest amusement parks, Cedar Point and Kings Island, are both owned by Cedar Fair. The state’s COVID lockdown prevented the parks from opening on schedule in May 2020, though season passes had been sold.

Cedar Fair attorney David Hudson told the justices in May that season passholders agree that the parks’ dates and hours of operation can change without notice and that there are no refunds. And Hudson said the park did open in July.

“We had a season. People disagree as to whether or not it was long enough or whether it should have had more days. But we had a season. So there was consideration in that transaction," Hudson said.

Justice Sharon Kennedy wrote for the unanimous court that season pass holder Laura Valentine, who filed a class-action lawsuit, didn’t have a valid claim of breach of contract or unjust enrichment against Cedar Fair.