Current Status

A Settlement for this matter was recently reached between the parties. The Court entered an Order preliminarily approving the Settlement on February 19, 2020. Pursuant to the Court’s Order, notices of the Settlement will begin to be disseminated to potential Class Members in April, 2020. This website will be updated with information about the Settlement and how to file a Claim in order to be eligible to receive a distribution from the Settlement proceeds. Please check back for additional information.


Important Dates
  • The period between August 29, 2013 and August 12, 2014
    Class Period
  • On or before April 9, 2019
    Deadline to Exclude Yourself from the Class

Welcome to the informational website for the class action Baker v. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., et al.

The purpose of this website is to inform you of a class action lawsuit now pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California (the “Court”) against SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (“SeaWorld” or the “Company”), The Blackstone Group L.P., James Atchison, James M. Heaney, and Marc Swanson (collectively, “Defendants”). This website is intended to advise you (1) that the Action has been certified by the Court to proceed as a class action on behalf of certain purchasers of Sea World common stock and (2) of your rights with respect to the lawsuit. More information regarding this Action and your rights as a Class Member is contained in the Notice of Pendency of Class Action (“Notice”). You may download a copy of the Notice by clicking here. You can also find additional information by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page of this website.


The Class:

By Order dated November 29, 2017, the Court certified the following Class:

All persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired the publicly traded common stock of SeaWorld between August 29, 2013 and August 12, 2014, who did not sell such acquired securities before August 13, 2014, and were damaged.

Excluded from the Class are: (i) Defendants; (ii) present or former executive officers of SeaWorld, members of SeaWorld’s Board of Directors, and members of their immediate families; (iii) any of the foregoing persons’ legal representatives, heirs, successors or assigns; and (iv) any entity in which Defendants have or had a controlling interest or any affiliate of SeaWorld.


Please Note: This Action is currently ongoing. No court has made a ruling on the merits of the allegations asserted against Defendants in the Action or on Defendants’ denials and defenses. The information contained on this website and in the Notice is not an admission by Defendants or an expression of any opinion of the Court concerning the merits of the lawsuit, or a finding by the Court that the claims asserted by Class Representatives Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System and Pensionskassen For Børne-Og Ungdomspædagoger (“Class Representatives”) in this case are valid. Defendants have denied Class Representatives’ claims and contend that they are not liable for the harm alleged by Class Representatives. There is no judgment, settlement, or monetary recovery at this time. There is no guarantee there will be any recovery. However, your legal rights are affected.


Class Members' Rights and Options
Do Nothing and Remain in the Class

If you are a Class Member and choose to remain a member of the Class, you are not required to do anything at this time.

You will be bound by all past, present and future orders and judgments in the Action, whether favorable or unfavorable. If any money is awarded to the Class, either through a settlement with Defendants or a judgment of the Court after a trial and appeal, you may be eligible to receive a share of that award.

If you remain a member of the Class, you may not pursue a lawsuit on your own behalf with regard to any of the issues in this Action. Pursuant to Rule 23(e)(4) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, it is within the Court’s discretion whether to allow a second opportunity to request exclusion from the Class if there is a settlement or judgment in the Action after a trial and appeal.

Additional information regarding your rights and options as a Class Member is included in the Notice.
Exclude Yourself from the Class By Submitting a Request for Exclusion Postmarked No Later Than April 9, 2019.

If you choose to be excluded from the Class, you will not be bound by any orders or judgments in this Action, nor will you be eligible to share in any recovery that might be obtained in this Action.

You will retain any right you have to individually pursue any legal rights that you may have against any Defendants with respect to the claims asserted in the Action.

Further information regarding the requirements for submitting a valid request for exclusion from the Class is included in the Notice.

Do not request exclusion if you wish to participate in the Action as a Class Member.