A legal battle has emerged between Joseph Jerome, a former executive at Paramount, and the entertainment giant, as Jerome has filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging wrongful termination due to his race and age.
The lawsuit, lodged in a California federal court, challenges Paramount's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, which Jerome claims were instrumental in his dismissal in 2024. At the heart of the lawsuit is the assertion that Jerome, a 58-year-old white man, was ousted for "thinking 'old'" and subsequently replaced by a younger, minority employee.
According to Breitbart, Jerome's legal action comes in the wake of Paramount's rollback or elimination of DEI-related policies following President Donald Trump's inauguration. Jerome, who had been with Paramount since 1994 and most recently served as production counsel for Entertainment Tonight, contends that he and two other white attorneys from CBS Media Ventures (CMV) were replaced by minority employees.
Specifically, Jerome alleges that his position was filled by a 25-year-old black law school graduate and former CMV intern, while his colleagues were succeeded by young Asian attorneys, whose previous roles were dissolved due to corporate restructuring.
The lawsuit further claims that at the beginning of 2024, CMV's legal division was approximately evenly divided between white and minority lawyers. However, all attorneys dismissed from the division that year were white and over the age of 50. Jerome's complaint also recounts a late 2023 meeting with then-CBS News President Wendy McMahon, during which she allegedly criticized shows for attracting older demographics and instructed staff to hire younger personnel to appeal to a younger audience.
Following this meeting, Jerome claims he was rebuked for "thinking 'old'" during a discussion about a potential deal, after he pointed out the misuse of a legal term.
This lawsuit follows a similar legal challenge settled by CBS Studios in April, where a former script coordinator for SEAL Team accused Paramount of denying him career advancement opportunities because he did not meet diversity criteria, being white and straight.
That case referenced remarks from then-CBS CEO George Cheeks, who in 2020 purportedly announced an initiative to ensure 40 percent of writers' rooms included "BIPOC representation," with a goal to increase this to 50 percent in subsequent seasons, as reported by the New York Post.
Jerome's legal team argues that his dismissal constitutes discrimination based on race and age, contravening both federal and state laws. The lawsuit seeks statutory and punitive damages, highlighting the ongoing debate over DEI policies and their implications in corporate America.
As this case unfolds, it underscores the tension between efforts to promote diversity and the potential for perceived reverse discrimination, raising questions about the balance between inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.
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