Killer whale

It seems as though SeaWorld cannot seem to stay away from the spotlight for too long. The parks San Diego location was recently the subject of a federal lawsuit. The suit came after disgruntled customers were looking for a refund on their money. Their reason for filing was due to allegations that SeaWorld mistreats their orcas. The plaintiffs stance was that many of the guests wouldn’t have visited SeaWorld if they knew just how poorly the orcas were being treated.

The original objection was filed in California by “Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro” Law Firm, who focuses on class-action lawsuits. The complaint was later joined with further claims against the Orlando and San Antonio SeaWorld locations. The assertion that SeaWorld mistreats their Orcas has been the subject of much controversy, following the 2013 documentary “Blackfish”. The anti-captivity doc gave viewers a behind the scenes look into the theme park.

The judge dismissed the case, explaining that the plaintiffs claims were too vague. Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo stated “Here, there is no chance of the plaintiffs being misled by SeaWorld’s alleged false statements and omissions concerned the treatment of whales at SeaWorld parks as the (complaint) does not allege that plaintiffs ever believed or relied on any statements by SeaWorld concerning the whales, and it is clear that the plaintiffs do not intend to visit the SeaWorld parks again”. SeaWorld officials commented on the suit, proclaiming “SeaWorld welcomes this significant decision, which threw out all of the plaintiffs’ claims, and which could signal the ultimate end of this litigation”.