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A coalition of groups working under the Block the Merger banner have filed an emergency request to oppose Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery ahead of a court hearing in California this morning pertaining
to the deal.
The motion for an amicus brief – enabling interested parties to present legal arguments relating to a case — was filed Thursday morning in the federal court of California, where Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín is still deciding over whether to approve the $111 billion deal.
In a statement, members of the coalition said they are asking Judge Martínez-Olguín “to grant interested parties the opportunity to formally oppose the weak and unenforceable consent decree that state attorneys general entered into with Paramount on Monday.”
The groups participating in the motion are The Committee for the First Amendment, Free Press, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Future Film Coalition and International Documentary Association.
On Monday, Paramount reached a deal with 12 state attorneys general who had filed an antitrust lawsuit, which had been set for a March 2027 trial.
The settlement terms including a commitment from Paramount to release at least 30 movies a year, set up an independent editorial board to oversee the CNN and CBS News operations and hold on to the Paramount Studios or Warner Bros. lots in California for at least five years.
California AG Rob Bonta called the settlement terms “very strong.”
A hearing is set for 11am today for Judge Martínez-Olguín to address “certain outstanding questions” over the merger. Block the Merger said he may also rule on their motion during that hearing.
“Hundreds of thousands of people across the country called on state attorneys general to enforce the law and to protect consumers, workers and free speech,” said Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González, co-counsel on the motion. “The weak and unenforceable deal the AGs struck with Paramount leaves us in the lurch. We deserve our day in court.”
