SANDUSKY, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a story that originally aired on May 16, 2022.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Supreme Court will consider whether Cedar Point season pass holders should be entitled to refunds due to the park's months-long closure at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Supreme Court's website, the court will hear the class-action lawsuit, which was first brought forward by Laura Valentine of Mayfield Heights. Valentine contends that season pass holders should be refunded for the days that the park was closed during its previously scheduled open season. The park, meanwhile, insists that its terms and conditions allow it to change the dates of its open season without notice.
While Cedar Point was originally scheduled to open its 2020 season in May, the park delayed its opening until July due to state-issued health orders stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the park announced that season passes would be honored for whatever months the park remained open in 2020, as well as the entirety of the 2021 season.
Valentine's case was originally dismissed by an Erie County Common Pleas Court in September 2020, a decision that was later reversed by the Sixth District Court of Appeals. Cedar Point's parent company, Cedar Fair, appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, which accepted the case.
According to the Ohio Supreme Court's website, the following issues will be considered as a part of the case on Wednesday:
- Does a season pass impose a contractual obligation on the pass issuer to open its business during government-ordered closures, making the issuer liable for damages?
- Is the term “season” ambiguous?