Paramount Sued By Ex-Distribution Chief Chris Aronson

Chris Aronson, former domestic distribution chief at Paramount Pictures, has sued the studio, alleging he’s owed millions of dollars in compensation after being let go last September as part of a round of layoffs shortly after its merger with Skydance Media.

Aronson’s attorney, Barry Kaufman, tells The Hollywood Reporter he filed the complaint with Superior Court of Los Angeles County on Aug. 20 but it hasn’t yet been formally processed yet before the document leaked online. “I have not even received back a conformed copy of the Complaint and the associated documents from the court confirming that it was accepted for filing,” Kaufman added. Aronson did not reply for comment.

Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

In the complaint, Aronson alleges that on Sept. 29 of last year — months into a new contract agreement inked in July that would have kept him at Paramount until Dec. 1, 2028 — he was summoned to a meeting with new Paramount co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein.

The duo informed him that he was terminated “without cause,” the complaint states, and that Greenstein assured him that Paramount would “pay you everything you’re owed under your contract” and “added words to the effect that ‘you’re worth every penny.'” Aronson claims that he was also informed that Paramount intended to “downgrade the position” he was occupying.

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As to that pay, “the remaining salary and incentive compensation under the agreement had an estimate value approaching $3.9 million,” Aronson’s complaint states, per the unprocessed court document confirmed “When the value of lost employment benefits and related compensation components is included, Aronson’s projected economic damages exceed $4 million.” Shortly after the timeline Aronson outlines, Paramount announced in November that it hired Shaun Barber, who spent 18 years at Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment handling such blockbuster franchises like John Wick, The Hunger Games and Twilight, as its new domestic distribution chief. Aronson stayed on until Dec. 1, when Barber took over that role.

Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

At the time of his layoff, Aronson was 69 years old. The executive’s complaint states that as part of his termination process, he received disclosure data related to broader layoffs at the company and his own independently commissioned analysis found a statistical pattern of age discrimination. That included layoffs of 62 employees aged 40 years or older and 30 staffers under the age of 40. Aronson alleges that Paramount’s HR department was aware of age-related impacts of its employment moves made for business strategy reasons.

Aronson, who had overseen the theatrical distribution efforts on titles like Top Gun: Maverick, as well as multiple Mission: Impossible, Sonic the Hedgehog and A Quiet Place installments, stayed with the studio through December of last year. He joined Paramount in 2019 after running distribution at 20th Century Fox prior to the Disney acquisition of Fox studio assets. His contract was renewed in 2022 At the time of the September meeting, Paramount execs had “suggested and dangled the prospect of a future consulting relationship” that never materialized. Aronson had subsequently taken on a consulting role to Rentrak Theatrical, the box office data platform formerly known as Comscore Movies, a division that he once founded.

Aronson’s complaint says that Paramount not only terminated the role but “abruptly ended what reasonably appeared to be the final chapter of a distinguished career in theatrical distribution.” Paramount declined comment on the suit.