{"id":2642704,"date":"2026-08-10T14:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bonta-denies-lawsuit-against-paramount-warner-bros-merger-is-political\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T18:36:01","slug":"bonta-denies-lawsuit-against-paramount-warner-bros-merger-is-political","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bonta-denies-lawsuit-against-paramount-warner-bros-merger-is-political\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonta denies lawsuit against Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is political"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbonta-denies-lawsuit-against-paramount-warner-bros-merger-is-political%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2642704&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California Attorney General Rob Bonta is contesting Paramount Skydance\u2019s claims that his multistate antitrust lawsuit against their merger with Warner Bros. Revelation is politically motivated. In an op-ed for Deadline, Bonta emphasizes that the lawsuit focuses on enforcing federal antitrust laws, asserting that the case is about the potential future ownership of CNN, rather than market share, as suggested by Paramount CEO David Ellison. Bonta highlights that a judge issued a temporary restraining order to block the merger, indicating the case\u2019s merit, and states the lawsuit will proceed to trial in March 2027 after Paramount agreed to delay the merger until June 1, 2027. He criticizes Paramount and Warner Bros. for attempting to sway public opinion and dismisses their claims as attempts to divert from the facts. The coalition of 12 states argues that the merger violates the Clayton Antitrust Act by reducing competition in film and TV licensing. Bonta also dismisses Paramount\u2019s reported promises to theaters as &#8220;self-serving&#8221; and unenforceable,maintaining that the lawsuit is about law enforcement,not politics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"60\">California<\/a> Attorney General Rob Bonta is fighting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"16440\">Paramount Skydance\u2019s<\/a> claims that his multistate antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment company\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mergers-and-acquisitions\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"616\">merger<\/a> with Warner Bros. Discovery is about politics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/08\/rob-bonta-up-ed-david-ellison-paramount-warner-bros-1237029737\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/08\/rob-bonta-up-ed-david-ellison-paramount-warner-bros-1237029737\/\">writing an op-ed<\/a> for <em>Deadline<\/em> on Monday, the Democratic attorney general is countering a <em>New York Times<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/04\/opinion\/david-ellison-paramount-warner-deal.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/04\/opinion\/david-ellison-paramount-warner-deal.html\">guest essay<\/a> penned by Paramount CEO David Ellison last week.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4681084\/rob-bonta-op-ed-lawsuit-paramount-warner-bros-merger\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rob Bonta denies antitrust lawsuit against Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is about politics<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4680837\/fbi-investigated-then-attorney-general-jeff-sessions-one-day-after-comey-firing-declassified-documents\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>FBI investigated then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions one day after Comey\u2019s firing, declassified documents show<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4680504\/bill-cassidy-vote-todd-blanche-attorney-general\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Sen. Bill Cassidy defends \u2018gradation of gray\u2019 decision to back Blanche as attorney general<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ellison argues that the case is about the future ownership of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cnn\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"732\">CNN<\/a> if the merger closes, not about market share as was presented in the lawsuit. Bonta insists that the suit he filed with 11 other state attorneys general intends to enforce federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1187\">antitrust<\/a> law, and he accuses the two studios of trying to draw attention from the facts of the case by \u201cspearheading a public relations campaign to spin\u201d a false narrative.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey would have you believe that this is purely politics,\u201d Bonta wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s not. If it was, we would have been thrown out of court the day we filed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInstead, the judge reviewed our case, saw the merits of our arguments, and issued a temporary restraining order to block the merger. If this was about politics, Paramount and Warner Bros would not have agreed to pause the merger until a judge makes a final decision or until next June, rather than go through preliminary injunction hearings that were likely to go the same way as the temporary restraining order \u2014 in our favor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4675260\/trial-date-paramount-skydance-warner-bros-antitrust-lawsuit\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4675260\/trial-date-paramount-skydance-warner-bros-antitrust-lawsuit\/\">heading to trial<\/a> for two weeks in March 2027 after Paramount <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4663195\/paramount-delays-warner-bros-merger-legal-roadblocks\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4663195\/paramount-delays-warner-bros-merger-legal-roadblocks\/\">agreed to delay<\/a> the Warner Bros. merger until June 1, 2027. Initially, Paramount was aiming to close the deal by the end of next month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 12-state plaintiff coalition, led by California, contends that the proposed merger violates the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 by substantially reducing competition in film distribution and television licensing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bonta filed the lawsuit last month after the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"438\">Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"438\">Department<\/a><\/a>  approved the merger in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The California official believes Paramount and Warner Bros. will lose in court next year, which he says is why they are trying to influence the \u201ccourt of public opinion\u201d since the lawsuit was brought.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey want to talk about anything but the facts of this case,\u201d Bonta wrote. \u201cTo twist the narrative. To try to confuse, conflate, and convince you that this is about politics, the news, or the future of streaming, when they know perfectly well it is not. When our lawsuit makes it crystal clear that it is not. As disingenuous as it may be, they are welcome to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4673871\/paramount-david-ellison-antitrust-cnn\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4673871\/paramount-david-ellison-antitrust-cnn\/\">PARAMOUNT CEO DAVID ELLISON SAYS ANTITRUST LAWSUIT IS ABOUT CNN OWNERSHIP, NOT MARKET SHARE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His op-ed comes after Paramount reportedly pledged to sign three-year contracts with major theater chains that guarantee it will release 30 theatrical films per year if the company combines with Warner Bros. The chief executives of AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas recently came out in support of the merger. Their decisions were likely influenced by Ellison\u2019s commitment to theatrical films.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bonta did not address Paramount\u2019s reported promise in his guest column, but he has dismissed it as \u201cself-serving\u201d and \u201ccompletely unenforceable\u201d in terms of the broader antitrust case at play.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bonta denies politics in Paramount-Warner merger lawsuit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2642705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25309692953599.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[28481,37184,51639,4585,16353],"class_list":["post-2642704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bonta","tag-entertainment-industry","tag-law-2","tag-lawsuit","tag-merger"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25309692953599.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2642704"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2642707,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642704\/revisions\/2642707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2642705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2642704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2642704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2642704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}