Chris Aronson, Paramount's former head of domestic distribution, has filed a lawsuit alleging the studio has reneged on a promised $1.3 million severance payment, on top of his existing claim of age discrimination over his dismissal. Aronson, who was let go last September during the executive shake-up following the Skydance merger, says he was told at the time he would be fully paid out on a contract extension running to December 2028, but Paramount has since argued it can only pay him for two years. He is now seeking around $4 million in economic damages plus punitive damages.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, states that Aronson, then 69, was informed on 29 September 2025 that he was being let go "without cause" with a suggested consulting arrangement that never materialised; it was only after he left in December that lawyers flagged the two-year payout cap in Paramount's severance agreement. Aronson's lawyers dispute Paramount's reading of the relevant IRS provision governing severance timing. He also alleges he was replaced by a significantly younger executive, Shaun Barber from Lionsgate, and that Paramount's recent layoffs have disproportionately affected staff aged 55 and over. Aronson had been at Paramount since 2019 after a long career at Fox, overseeing releases including "Top Gun: Maverick" and instalments of "Mission: Impossible." Paramount has not yet responded to a request for comment.