CBS and Paramount End Illegal DEI Policies and Resolves Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

A man named Brian Beneker claimed that CBS discriminated against him by hiring a black man with less experience as a script writer.

Beneker, a freelance script writer who sought a permanent position as a full-time staff writer in the writer’s room, asked his supervisor why he was passed over. The supervisor admitted the man was hired because he was black — as part of a racial quota policy in the writer’s room.

America First Liberty (AFL) filed a lawsuit on his behalf with a federal court in February 2024, on the grounds that Paramount Global, CBS Entertainment, and CBS Studios violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court rejected CBS’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.

AFL announced last week that the parties have resolved the lawsuit, and the company has removed its “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies. From AFL:

Following Paramount’s change to DEI policies, AFL has also secured the amicable resolution of a discrimination claim against Paramount and CBS on behalf of its client, former “SEAL Team” script coordinator and writer Brian Beneker.

“America First Legal is pleased to see Paramount and CBS publicly back off their DEI requirements and return to merit-based considerations,” said Nick Barry, senior legal counsel at AFL. “Diversity quotas that discriminate on the basis of race are unlawful. Others in the entertainment industry should take note.”