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Paramount Pictures is facing legal action from two former employees who allege the company allowed sexual harassment and assault by a senior executive to go unchecked.
Both women, identified in court filings as Jane Doe, claim they were harassed by Patrick Smith, the company’s senior vice president of worldwide print production, who resigned earlier this year following an internal investigation.
According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, in one complaint, an accuser claims Smith assaulted her repeatedly between 2016 and 2018. “This concept of relentless simplification and ruthless prioritization was the cornerstone of the change management and the strategy,” the lawsuit states. She alleges the abuse occurred in the studio lot and offices.
In one alleged 2016 incident, Smith entered the accuser’s office, closed the door, and sexually assaulted her. Later that year, she claims he locked her in his car and assaulted her. The lawsuit states she was later hired as a manager at Paramount.
The complaint also alleges assaults continued until her 2022 departure. During lunch breaks, Smith allegedly took her to secluded areas of the studio and directed her to perform sex acts.
The accuser was interviewed by human resources in connection with another complaint about Smith. He later told her HR had asked if he wanted them to “take care of it,” which the lawsuit claims was a suggestion that the reporting employee could be fired.
Culture of silence alleged in court filing
The second Jane Doe lawsuit, details a pattern of harassment from 2017 to 2019. She says Smith “regularly engaged in predatory behavior,” including making sexual advances and referring to explicit acts.
In one case, Smith allegedly demanded she attend a Nevada conference with him and implied they would have sex. After rejecting him, Smith is accused of retaliating by engineering a demotion of her agency’s account, despite it being a top client based on pricing.
The women, both previously employed by an ad agency closely tied to Paramount, worked under Smith’s management at Paramount offices. Both lawsuits allege Smith’s misconduct was part of a wider culture of tolerance for abuse.
“Paramount fostered a ‘code of silence by allowing sexual misconduct, assault and harassment to exist in the workplace’ and ‘punished those that dared to speak up,’” said Chip Matthews, an attorney representing the women.
Promises of promotion
The complaints also allege Smith had been terminated from executive roles at other entertainment companies for prior misconduct and offered promises of promotion as leverage over employees. Byron Purcell, another lawyer for the women, said in the lawsuit, “Smith repeatedly made inappropriate and unwarranted remarks about female colleagues, openly displaying a disregard for professionalism and respect.”
In one instance, Smith allegedly commented about a colleague, “She’s older, so there’s probably something going on with her hormones. She’s acting crazy?”
Paramount has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
