Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is currently facing two active lawsuits and has recently closed out two large settlements. The active matters are a securities fraud class action tied to the 2024 Cedar Fair merger and a wrongful death case over a fatal roller coaster ride at Magic Mountain. The resolved matters are a $40 million securities settlement over failed China theme parks and a $36 million Illinois biometric privacy settlement over fingerprint scanning at Six Flags Great America. Here is where each Six Flags lawsuit stands, what it covers, and whether any money is still available to claim.
Cedar Fair Merger Securities Class Action (Active)
On November 5, 2025, the City of Livonia Employees’ Retirement System filed a securities fraud class action against Six Flags in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The case is City of Livonia Employees’ Retirement System v. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, No. 3:25-cv-02394.1CourtListener. City of Livonia Employees’ Retirement System v. Six Flags Entertainment
The complaint alleges that the registration statement and prospectus for the July 1, 2024, merger between Legacy Six Flags and Cedar Fair contained material misstatements and omissions in violation of Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933. According to the filing, the merger documents described “transformational investment initiatives” at Six Flags parks, while in reality the company had for years deferred basic maintenance, infrastructure repairs, and ride development. The complaint also alleges that after CEO Selim Bassoul took over in November 2021, headcount was cut in a way that degraded operations at parks already needing capital spending well above historical levels.2Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP. City of Livonia v. Six Flags Complaint Bassoul is named as a defendant along with other executive officers.3PR Newswire. Investor Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Six Flags Entertainment Corporation The complaint explicitly disclaims allegations of fraud or intentional deception.
The class period runs from July 1, 2024, the merger closing date, through November 5, 2025. Six Flags stock traded above $55 on the merger date and later dropped as low as $20, a decline of nearly 64%.4Berger Montague. Six Flags Entertainment Securities Fraud Investigation
The case is now assigned to Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick after the originally assigned judge recused the day after filing.1CourtListener. City of Livonia Employees’ Retirement System v. Six Flags Entertainment In January 2026, four competing parties, including the Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago, moved to be appointed lead plaintiff. Six Flags’s deadline to respond to the complaint has been stayed while the court resolves that question.5PACER Monitor. City of Livonia Employees’ Retirement System v. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation No settlement has been reached and no class has yet been certified. If you bought Six Flags stock during the class period, watch the docket rather than expect a payout on any near-term timeline.
China Theme Parks Securities Settlement ($40 Million, Closed)
An earlier securities case, Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, No. 4:20-cv-00201-P, settled for $40 million in cash. It was filed on February 12, 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.6Six Flags Securities Litigation. Frequently Asked Questions The class period covered purchases of Six Flags common stock between April 24, 2018, and February 19, 2020.7Six Flags Securities Litigation. Settlement Home Page
The suit named former CEO James Reid-Anderson and former CFO Marshall Barber, alleging violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act over statements about Six Flags-branded parks being built in China with partner Riverside Investment Group. Executives told investors throughout 2018 that the parks were “progressing nicely,” but internal reports allegedly showed little to no construction was occurring and that Riverside had failed to pay vendors. The partnership was terminated in February 2020.8FindLaw. Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation
Judge Mark T. Pittman granted preliminary approval of the settlement on September 23, 2024, and entered final judgment on January 28, 2025. The initial distribution to authorized claimants was made on March 31, 2026.6Six Flags Securities Litigation. Frequently Asked Questions The claims deadline was February 4, 2025, and investors who missed it cannot participate.7Six Flags Securities Litigation. Settlement Home Page
Illinois Fingerprint Privacy Settlement ($36 Million, Fully Paid Out)
Six Flags also settled a landmark biometric privacy case, Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp., No. 16-CH-13, for $36 million. The lawsuit, filed in 2016 in Lake County, Illinois, alleged that Six Flags Great America in Gurnee collected fingerprint scans from repeat-entry pass holders without the notice, written consent, or written retention policy required by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.9Top Class Actions. Six Flags Pays $36M to End Illegal Fingerprint Scan Class Action Lawsuit The case became a defining BIPA precedent after the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that a person does not need to prove actual harm to sue; unlawful collection of biometric data is itself enough.10Capitol News Illinois. Six Flags Agrees to $36 Million Settlement Over Alleged BIPA Violations
The settlement class covered more than 1.1 million people who scanned their fingers at the park between October 1, 2013, and December 31, 2018. Payouts depended on visit date: up to $200 for scans between October 2013 and April 2016, and up to $60 for scans between May 2016 and December 2018. Payments were spread across five annual installments from 2021 through 2025, and Six Flags did not admit fault.10Capitol News Illinois. Six Flags Agrees to $36 Million Settlement Over Alleged BIPA Violations The claims deadline was October 12, 2021, and the fifth and final installment was mailed on December 23, 2025. The settlement is now fully distributed and no further claims can be filed.11Theme Park Settlement. Rosenbach v. Six Flags Settlement
X2 Roller Coaster Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Trial Set for 2026)
The family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old from Garden Grove, California, has sued Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, and ride manufacturer S&S Worldwide over his death. Hawley rode the X2 roller coaster on June 23, 2022, and died the next day. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner attributed his death to blunt head trauma.12ABC7. Garden Grove Family Files Lawsuit Against Six Flags Magic Mountain Alleging X2 Roller Coaster Killed Son
Filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the complaint asserts wrongful death, negligence, design defects, and failure to warn. It alleges the ride “suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt,” slamming passengers’ heads backward. Plaintiffs’ attorney Ari Friedman has said X2 has been linked to prior incidents involving whiplash and head and leg injuries from sudden shuddering and jolts.13Los Angeles Times. Their Son Died After a Magic Mountain Roller Coaster Ride. Now They’re Suing S&S Worldwide is named as a co-defendant because it holds the design copyright for the ride’s “fourth-dimensional” style, which features seats that rotate 360 degrees.14Orange County Register. Six Flags Magic Mountain Coaster Responsible for Fatal Brain Injury, Lawsuit Alleges
All defendants have denied the claims. The family is seeking compensatory damages that its legal team anticipates could reach $10 million or more, depending on ongoing ride inspections and evidence gathering. Trial is scheduled to begin October 13, 2026.14Orange County Register. Six Flags Magic Mountain Coaster Responsible for Fatal Brain Injury, Lawsuit Alleges