Sony Pictures wins order to move executive's discrimination suit to arbitration

A judge has ordered that a gender and age discrimination lawsuit filed by former Sony Pictures Television executive Wendy Baxter be moved to private arbitration. Baxter, who served as senior vice president of current programming, alleged she was wrongfully terminated in 2025 due to her age of 60. She further claimed her dismissal was retaliatory following her complaints regarding discrimination against older women within the company.

In his ruling, Judge Steven A. Ellis granted Sony’s motion to compel arbitration for all causes of action, effectively putting the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit on hold. The judge noted that while there was ‘some degree of procedural unconscionability’ in the record, the employment agreement was not unfairly weighted in favor of Sony. Sony provided evidence that Baxter had signed an employment agreement containing an arbitration clause in April 2022.

Baxter’s career at Sony spanned several periods between 1995 and 2025. In her role as senior vice president, she oversaw the international adaptation and production of major television hits, including ‘The Nanny’, ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, and ‘Married… with Children’. A status conference is scheduled for July 14, 2027.