Pennsylvania State Police settle profiling, immigration suit
The settlement pays a total of $865,000 to 10 plaintiffs, with a portion going to the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.
3 years ago
Special education teacher Ben Slater describes his Father's Day at Dorney Park, where he was detained by security guards who accused him of stealing, then banned from the park for six months. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
A Pennsylvania amusement park has settled a lawsuit filed by a black man who said security officers racially profiled him saying he matched the description of a pickpocket, then escorted him out even after it was determined he wasn’t the suspect.
The Allentown Morning Call reports Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom’s parent company settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.
The lawsuit was filed in June on behalf of Benjamin Slater, a Philadelphia teacher.
A letter from Slater’s attorney to U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Perkin in February indicated Slater had sought $1 million but was willing to settle for $500,000.
A spokeswoman for Dorney Park said the company wouldn’t comment on the settlement.
Dorney Park, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia, is owned by Cedar Fair, based in Sandusky, Ohio.