Report on Lawsuits Against Paramount Pictures Citing Violations of Sustainable Development Goals

This report details two lawsuits filed against Paramount Pictures, its parent company Paramount Global, and a former executive, Patrick Smith. The allegations contained within the legal complaints highlight significant failures to uphold key principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Case Summary and Parties Involved

Two former female employees, identified as Jane Doe, have filed separate lawsuits in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles. The complaints allege sexual assault, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse by former Senior VP Patrick Smith. The lawsuits contend that Paramount Pictures and Paramount Global failed to prevent the misconduct despite receiving numerous complaints, thereby failing to provide a safe and equitable work environment.

• Plaintiffs: Two former employees, identified as “Jane Doe.”
• Defendants: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Global, and Patrick Smith (former Senior VP of Print Production).
• Legal Action: Seeking unspecified compensatory damages for alleged abuses.

Violations of SDG 5: Gender Equality

The allegations present a severe case of gender-based violence and discrimination in the workplace, directly undermining the targets of SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Specifically, the claims contravene Target 5.2, which calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

Allegations by Plaintiff Jane Doe 1

The first plaintiff alleges a sustained pattern of sexual assault and psychological abuse by Mr. Smith, beginning in 2016. These actions represent a profound violation of her physical and mental integrity, safety, and right to equality in the workplace.

1. Unwanted Sexual Advances and Harassment: The executive allegedly sent flirtatious texts with sexual innuendos and made inappropriate inquiries about her body.
2. Physical and Sexual Assault: The complaint details multiple instances of assault, including the executive allegedly touching her breast under her dress, forcibly kissing and groping her, and digitally penetrating her without consent in his car and in a locked storage room on the Paramount lot.
3. Coercion and Exploitation: The lawsuit claims the executive exploited his position of power to pressure the plaintiff into performing oral sex and engaging in other sexual acts, often during work hours.
4. Psychological and Emotional Abuse: The plaintiff was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse, humiliation, and manipulative behavior intended to provoke jealousy and insecurity.
5. Disregard for Health and Autonomy: The complaint alleges the executive forcibly ejaculated inside the plaintiff and made coercive statements regarding abortion, demonstrating a complete disregard for her well-being and reproductive autonomy.

Allegations by Plaintiff Jane Doe 2

The second plaintiff, who also reported directly to Mr. Smith, alleges a pattern of emotional abuse, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination that impeded her career advancement and violated her rights under SDG 5.

• Abusive Work Environment: The lawsuit describes the executive as “verbally caustic, emotionally abusive, sexually predatory, aggressive, and highly vindictive.”
• Sexual Harassment: The executive allegedly sent text messages with sexual innuendos and suggested they engage in sexual acts during a work-related conference.
• Maternity-Based Discrimination: Upon returning from maternity leave, the plaintiff was allegedly subjected to inappropriate remarks about her body. The lawsuit claims her work responsibilities were unjustly limited based on the discriminatory belief that her status as a mother rendered her incapable of fulfilling certain job functions, a direct barrier to women’s full economic participation (Target 5.5).

Implications for SDG 8 (Decent Work) and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions)

The lawsuits raise critical questions about corporate responsibility in ensuring safe and just working conditions, as outlined in SDG 8 and SDG 16.

Failure to Uphold SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Target 8.8 of the SDGs is to “protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers.” The lawsuits allege that Paramount created the opposite of a safe environment by retaining an executive despite “numerous complaints about [his] egregious behavior and sexual misconduct.” The alleged failure to act allowed the abuse to continue, directly contravening the principles of decent work and creating a hostile environment that undermined the plaintiffs’ professional and personal well-being.

Erosion of SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Strong and accountable institutions are fundamental to achieving justice. The lawsuits suggest a significant institutional failure at Paramount. Key points include:

• Lack of Accountability: The allegation that Paramount allowed the executive to resign rather than be terminated following an investigation suggests a failure to enforce accountability. This action, if true, may have left his employment record “unblemished,” undermining justice for the victims.
• Impunity and Injustice: The claim that the executive received a “congratulatory note” and company merchandise after his departure further points to an institutional culture that may not take gender-based violence and harassment seriously, eroding trust in corporate justice mechanisms.
• Access to Justice: The filing of these lawsuits represents the plaintiffs’ attempt to seek justice through the legal system, a cornerstone of SDG 16. The outcome will be a test of the legal framework’s ability to hold powerful corporate entities accountable for failing to protect their employees.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The article focuses on sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination against female employees.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The events describe an unsafe, abusive, and non-decent work environment.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The article discusses the pursuit of justice through the legal system and highlights a failure of corporate accountability.

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.

     The article provides a clear example of discrimination against a woman based on her status as a mother. The lawsuit of the second Jane Doe states that upon her return from maternity leave, the executive’s conduct “culminated in a severe and unjust limitation of Plaintiff’s work responsibilities, predicated on Defendant Smith’s discriminatory belief that her status as a mother rendered her incapable of fulfilling certain job functions.”

   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including… sexual and other types of exploitation.

     The article is replete with detailed accounts of violence against women in the workplace (a private sphere). This includes sexual assault (“he then reached down the front of her dress and touched her breast beneath her bra,” “digitally penetrated her vagina, without consent,” “forcefully anally penetrate Plaintiff against her will”), sexual harassment (“sending overtly flirtatious texts, laden with sexual innuendos”), and psychological violence (“subjected Plaintiff to repeated verbal abuse throughout the workday… berate and humiliate her”).

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers…

     The article details a profoundly unsafe and insecure working environment for the two female plaintiffs. The constant sexual harassment, assault, and emotional abuse created a hostile workplace that violates fundamental labor rights to safety and dignity. The lawsuit claims the second Jane Doe “was continuously made to feel self-conscious, embarrassed, intimidated, dehumanized, ridiculed, insulted, and extremely uncomfortable at work each day.” This directly contravenes the principle of a safe working environment.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

     The article details multiple forms of violence, including sexual, physical, and psychological violence perpetrated in the workplace. The lawsuits describe acts such as being “forcibly pushed Plaintiff into a storage room,” being “trapped in his car late at night,” and suffering from “a sustained pattern of psychological torment.” Addressing such violence is central to this target.

   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

     The entire article is about the plaintiffs’ attempt to access justice. By filing lawsuits in the “Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles,” the two women are using the legal system to seek accountability and remedy for the alleged crimes and abuses. They are seeking “unspecified compensatory damages,” which is a form of legal recourse.

   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

     The article implies a failure of institutional accountability at the corporate level. The lawsuits allege that Paramount Pictures “retained Defendant Smith as a Vice President of Paramount, despite receiving numerous complaints about Defendant Smith’s egregious behavior and sexual misconduct.” Furthermore, the company allegedly allowed the executive to “resign, rather than firing him,” which “left his employment record ‘unblemished’” and even gave him a gift, suggesting a lack of effective and accountable processes for handling misconduct.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • For Target 5.1 (End Discrimination): An implied indicator is the number of reported and legally challenged cases of gender-based workplace discrimination. The lawsuit by the second Jane Doe concerning the limitation of her work responsibilities after maternity leave serves as a specific data point for this indicator.
   • For Target 5.2 (Eliminate Violence Against Women): An implied indicator is the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment and assault. The detailed accounts of unwanted touching, forced sexual acts, and harassing text messages are qualitative data points that fall under this indicator. The filing of the lawsuit itself is a measurable event indicating that violence has occurred and is being reported.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • For Target 8.8 (Safe Working Environments): An implied indicator is the number of official complaints and lawsuits filed by employees regarding workplace safety, harassment, and abuse. The article explicitly mentions that two lawsuits were filed and that Paramount had previously received “numerous complaints” about the executive’s behavior. These are quantifiable measures of an unsafe work environment.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • For Target 16.3 (Access to Justice): A direct indicator is the number of individuals seeking legal remedy for grievances through the formal justice system. The article states that two “complaints were both filed this month in the Superior Court of California,” which is a direct measure of access to justice being utilized.
   • For Target 16.6 (Accountable Institutions): An implied indicator is the outcome of internal corporate investigations into misconduct. The article provides a negative indicator by stating that Paramount conducted an investigation but then “allowed Patrick Smith to resign, rather than firing him,” and thanked him for his service. This outcome suggests a lack of accountability. Tracking whether such investigations lead to termination versus resignation would be a way to measure institutional accountability.

SDGs, Targets and Indicators Analysis

Source: variety.com