Former Paramount Exec Sues Over Alleged Racial Discrimination in Firing
Joseph Jerome, a white former executive at Paramount, has filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging he was fired due to his race. Jerome's lawsuit challenges the company's former diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, some of which tied staffing goals and executive compensation to diversity. This comes amidst a backdrop of ongoing debates about corporate diversity policies and their legality.
Jerome, who worked at Paramount from 1994 to 2024, most recently as senior vice president of business and legal affairs and production counsel to Entertainment Tonight, alleges he was one of three CBS Media Ventures attorneys, all over 50 years old and white, to be terminated last year and replaced with younger employees from minority groups. The lawsuit challenges the legality of such corporate diversity policies, which remain on 'murky ground' when they explicitly tie staffing goals to diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
In 2023, CBS News president Wendy McMahon directed staff to attract younger viewers by hiring younger staff members. This directive, along with a settlement in April 2024 with a script coordinator for SEAL Team who accused Paramount of carrying illegal diversity quotas, raises questions about the company's approach to diversity and inclusion. Following the settlement, Paramount pointed to federal mandates that 'require changes in the way our company approaches inclusion moving forward'. However, no public information is available about which leadership at Paramount fired Jerome or any subsequent changes to the company's diversity, equality, and inclusion goals.
Jerome's lawsuit, which challenges Paramount's former diversity policies, comes at a time when the legality of corporate diversity initiatives is under scrutiny. The Supreme Court's recent ruling in June, which struck down an obstacle for discrimination lawsuits involving majority groups, may have implications for Jerome's case. As the lawsuit proceeds, it will be interesting to see how Paramount responds and whether this case sets a precedent for future diversity and inclusion policies in the corporate world.
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