CBS ‘Seal Team’ Lawsuit Alleges Diversity Quotas, Hiring Practices Discriminate Against Straight White Men
A federal judge has rejected the broadcaster’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by script coordinator Brian Beneker, alleges that CBS enforced illegal diversity quotas that discriminated against straight white men.
The studio is accused of favoring “less qualified” individuals from minority groups.
U.S. District Court Judge John Walter denied CBS Studios’ request to dismiss the lawsuit, and also said issues like First Amendment protections in talent selection should be addressed at a later stage. The judge’s decision echoes a similar lawsuit filed by Gina Carano against Disney and Lucasfilm.
In that lawsuit, Carano claimed she was fired from The Mandalorian because of her political views. The court in that case also rejected arguments on free speech grounds, allowing Carano’s lawsuit to proceed.
CBS, now a subsidiary of Paramount, had argued that its programming constitutes artistic speech, giving it the right to select writers who best convey its creative vision. “Restricting CBS’s ability to select writers at its discretion—as Beneker seeks to do here—unconstitutionally undermines CBS’s ability to shape its message,” Molly Lens, an attorney for the network, wrote in a court filing. She stressed that CBS’s content is inherently expressive, and the studio should have autonomy in selecting employees who contribute to that expression.
Discrimination claims
Originally filed in March, the lawsuit alleged that Beneker was repeatedly passed over for a writing position due to “illegal policies of racial and gender balance.” Brian Beneker claims the policy prioritized hiring individuals from favored demographic groups — including minorities, LGBTQ individuals, and women — while ignoring “more qualified” applicants.
Beneker is seeking $500,000 in damages, along with a court order to secure a full-time producer role on the series and prevent any further discriminatory hiring practices at CBS.
The legal challenge against CBS follows a broader pattern of pushback against the company’s diversity initiatives. Beneker is represented by the America First Legal Foundation, a group founded by former Trump administration official Stephen Miller, which has been aggressive in filing complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against major corporations.
What the lawsuit means
The lawsuit comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The ruling saw the elimination of race-based admissions policies at colleges and universities. The ruling sparked a wave of legal challenges aimed at dismantling diversity and inclusion efforts across a variety of industries.
The outcome of the Beneker case could have significant implications for many industries. This could include other high-profile industries that have been waiting for a DEI pushback, such as the gaming industry. As we saw over the spring and summer, games began to take note of the DEI involvement of the industry Sweet Baby has since become the face of.
