A California federal judge granted a temporary restraining order on Monday that pauses the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The decision comes after a coalition of 12 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit seeking to block the approximately $110 billion deal.
The state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenged the merger on antitrust grounds, arguing that combining the two major media conglomerates would harm consumers and the entertainment industry. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted the temporary restraining order, which pauses the deal for approximately two weeks while the court considers the full antitrust lawsuit brought against the transaction.
The ruling disrupts Paramount’s owners’ timeline, as they had expected to gain control of Warner Bros. Discovery by the end of the week. The temporary pause allows the court to evaluate the broader legal challenges to the merger before it is finalized.
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Featured photo: Paramount Skydance Corporation via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)