CBS has settled a discrimination lawsuit filed by Brian Beneker, a script coordinator who claimed he had been passed over for a writing job on “SEAL Team” because he is a straight white man.
Beneker alleged that CBS’ diversity hiring goals — which, at the time, included reaching 50% representation for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) writers by 2022-23 — amounted to an illegal quota.
No terms of the settlement were disclosed. Paramount Global — the parent company of CBS — recently rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying in a memo that it would no longer “set or use aspirational numerical goals related to the race, ethnicity, sex or gender of hires.”
Beneker had the backing of America First Legal, the advocacy group led by White House adviser Stephen Miller. The group has sought to invalidate DEI policies in the private sector.
“Paramount Global and CBS Studios have agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit America First Legal brought on behalf of our client Brian Beneker,” the group said in a statement. “America First Legal is pleased to see Paramount and CBS publicly back off their DEI requirements and return to merit-based considerations. Diversity quotas that discriminate on the basis of race are unlawful. Others in the entertainment industry should take note.”
The settlement with Beneker does not entail any further change to diversity policies, a source said.
Paramount Global is currently seeking the Trump administration’s approval of a merger with Skydance Media. The Federal Communications Commission is already investigating Paramount over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, which Trump and his supporters claim was misleadingly edited. That investigation could interfere with FCC approval of the merger. Trump has also sued the company for $20 billion over the Harris interview.
The FCC has also launched probes of DEI polices at Comcast, the parent of NBCUniversal, and at Disney.
Beneker’s lawsuit survived CBS’ motion to dismiss, as Judge John Walter concluded that the company’s objections would be more appropriate for a summary judgment motion. Rather than go that route — which would have involved depositions and other discovery — the parties elected to settle, following a mediation with a retired judge in December.
America First Legal also represents Jeff Vaughn, a former anchor on KCAL and KCBS who sued CBS Broadcasting on similar grounds last year. That case remains pending, and is scheduled for trial in March 2026.
CBS declined to comment. In its motion to dismiss, the company had argued that the First Amendment gives it a broad right to hire whomever it wants for creative roles. The settlement leaves that legal question unresolved.
But in another case, Disney has raised similar arguments to defend the firing of Gina Carano, the “Mandalorian” actor who was accused of trivializing the Holocaust in a social media post. Carano filed a lawsuit alleging that she was illegally fired in retaliation for disfavored political activity.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett denied Disney’s motion to throw out Carano’s lawsuit last year, finding that the First Amendment does not provide a blanket defense. That case, too, remains unresolved, with a trial scheduled for next February.
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