Federal jury spares Sesame Place $25 million lawsuit after character accused of ignoring black children in viral clip

The $25 million racial discrimination lawsuit filed against Sesame Place, alleging that one of the theme park's characters intentionally ignored black children, has been dismissed.

A federal court jury in Philadelphia voted unanimously “no” on Wednesday after finding that SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, the company that owns the Pennsylvania-based theme park, could not be held liable for any wrongdoing, according to NBC 10.

The controversy ignited in July 2022 when a viral video showed an amusement park character actor seemingly refusing to interact with or acknowledge two young black children during parades and meet-and-greets.

The video sparked outrage on social media.

It appeared to show the two girls being ignored by the character Rosita from “Sesame Street” after they extended their arms for a high-five.

The character actor even seemed to shake his head in a no gesture as he passed by.

The New York family's lawyer, B'Ivory LaMarr, demanded that SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment cover all costs related to the girls' mental health, as they had suffered “severe emotional distress” as a result of the alleged treatment.

In total, 150 families contacted LaMarr, claiming that there had been similar incidents involving artists in the park following the first video, NBC 10 reported.

After facing strong reactions to the incident, Sesame Place immediately released a statement.

“The actor playing Rosita did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated by the misunderstanding,” the theme park wrote.

“The actor who plays the character Rosita confirmed that the 'no' hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed at a specific person, but rather was a response to several requests from someone in the crowd who had asked Rosita to hold her child for a photo, which is not allowed.”

In response to these incidents, Sesame Place announced that all employees would undergo bias training and review their practices to identify necessary changes.

However, after the attention the first video attracted, other families began making similar allegations against Sesame Place, according to NBC 10.

A second video subsequently surfaced of a similar incident at the park, in which a five-year-old black girl was apparently turned away at Sesame Place by several park employees dressed as characters.

The girl's father, Quinton Burns, was the one who filed a $25 million class action lawsuit against SeaWorld Parks, the owner of Sesame Place, for “widespread and horrific racial discrimination” after claiming his daughter Kennedi was ignored.

The lawsuit, represented by Baltimore-based law firm Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, alleges that Kennedi was ignored by four people at the June 18, 2022 event at the Pennsylvania park because of her race: “SeaWorld cast members readily accommodated numerous similarly situated white customers.”

The family seen in the first video, in which the two girls are ignored by Rosita, was not a plaintiff in the class action lawsuit.

After Sesame Place was found not guilty on Wednesday, the association released a statement thanking the court for its verdict.

“The facts presented demonstrate that we treat our guests equally. We want every guest to feel welcome and safe when they visit our park, and to be able to recognize and feel aspects of themselves in the experiences we create,” a park spokesperson told NBC 10.

“We are proud of the role we play in creating lasting memories – especially for our youngest guests. We are constantly learning and improving and strive to use our parks to provide a more comprehensive experience for our guests.”