America First Legal Sues CBS for Illegal Employment Discrimination Against Decorated Navy Combat Veteran

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting Inc., and its parent company, Paramount Global, for allegedly violating California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) by unlawfully discriminating against AFL’s client, a decorated U.S. Navy combat veteran, because of his race, sex, and military service status.

AFL’s client is a white, heterosexual male and veteran who served as a combat cameraman and reconnaissance expert in the U.S. Navy for more than a decade. He received numerous commendations for his service, including the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal. After retiring from the military, AFL’s client began working as a videographer at CBS in 2018. 

In April 2023, AFL’s client was told that when a video editor position opened, he would be the first on the list to be hired. However, in June 2023, CBS began recruiting for a full-time editor, and AFL’s client was not considered for the position. When he asked the hiring manager why he was excluded from consideration, he was told, “We have too many straight, white men in our department.” CBS subsequently hired a Hispanic female with considerably less experience than AFL’s client for the position.

CBS and Paramount have repeatedly promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and practices, including a policy of anti-male and anti-white discrimination. Further, Paramount claims to use “data” and “scientific rigor” to “transform” its “creative ecosystem” into a DEI propaganda operation. This discrimination seems to be systemic.

AFL has previously filed two lawsuits against CBS for alleged discrimination, suing CBS in February 2024 for alleged racial discrimination and again in July 2024 for allegedly terminating an Emmy Award-winning news anchor for not fitting into a favored hiring group quota—nonwhite, LGBTQ, or female. 

AFL is committed to relentlessly fighting to protect the civil rights of all Americans and demolish illegal DEI practices across corporate America.

Statement from Reed D. Rubinstein, America First Legal Senior Vice President:

“Paramount/CBS says that its “commitment” to radical DEI is “central to its business, a cornerstone of its culture, and will remain foundational to its future.” It brags about “balancing” its workforce based on race and sex. Treating Americans, and only Americans (Paramount/CBS claims that “Ethnicity is only tracked domestically in the U.S., due to global and regional variations in the definitions of ethnic diversity”) this way is divisive, demeaning, immoral, and illegal. Those responsible need to be held accountable,” said Reed D. Rubinstein.

Statement from Nicholas Barry, America First Legal Senior Counsel:

“America is the land of opportunity. Americans deserve equal treatment. When applying for a job, no one should be hired or denied a position based on their immutable characteristics, such as race and sex. It is immoral and illegal. Companies operating in America must stop focusing their efforts on quota programs based on race and sex in an attempt to achieve some faux utopian race or sex-balanced workforce with the perfect amount of minorities (whatever that may mean). Instead, companies need to return to hiring based on merit, qualifications, and competency. As Americans, we must demand these corporate giants comply with basic American laws and ideals,” said Nicholas Barry.

Read the lawsuit here.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates on America First Legal’s fight to protect your constitutional rights!

X, Facebook, Instagram, Truth Social, Youtube

For press inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Photo credit: Adobe Stock Images /  waranyu

Stay Informed

Get updates about the legal battles we are waging across the country. To Get Critical Updates By Text: Text Join to 50608.

    I would like to Subscribe!