{"id":2643586,"date":"2026-08-12T11:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xavier-becerra-urges-california-to-settle-paramount-warner-bros-lawsuit\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:25:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:25:06","slug":"xavier-becerra-urges-california-to-settle-paramount-warner-bros-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/xavier-becerra-urges-california-to-settle-paramount-warner-bros-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavier Becerra urges California to settle Paramount-Warner Bros. lawsuit"},"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%2Fxavier-becerra-urges-california-to-settle-paramount-warner-bros-lawsuit%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=2643586&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>xavier Becerra, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in California, has urged the state&#8217;s attorney general to settle an antitrust lawsuit against Paramount, Skydance, and Warner Bros. Revelation before its scheduled trial next year. becerra&#8217;s appeal follows California attorney General Rob Bonta&#8217;s reluctance to pursue settlement talks to resolve the multistate lawsuit challenging the $111 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros.,which Bonta argues could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-says-not-so-fast-as-netflix-announces-industry-altering-deal-to-acquire-warner-bros\/\" title=\"White House Says Not So Fast as Netflix Announces ...-Altering Deal to Acquire ....\">create excessive market power<\/a> in film distribution and cable markets. Becerra, with his background in antitrust cases, emphasized the importance of protecting Hollywood and California&#8217;s entertainment industry, considering whether mergers benefit the state&#8217;s families and industry. the lawsuit aims to block the merger under federal law, with the trial set for March 2027. paramount has expressed a desire to settle out of court, but Bonta remains firm on litigation, and Paramount CEO David Ellison has threatened to relocate if no progress is made-though Bonta dismisses this as blackmail. Becerra considers California&#8217;s entertainment industry vital and opposes the departure of major companies, advocating for negotiations rather than courtroom battles.Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom has not publicly commented on the case, though there are concerns about potential job impacts. Republican candidate Steve Hilton criticized Bonta&#8217;s lawsuit as politically motivated, arguing against the merger&#8217;s purported benefits.  <\/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\/xavier-becerra\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1719\">Xavier Becerra<\/a>, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"60\">California<\/a>, urged the state attorney general to settle its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1187\">antitrust<\/a> lawsuit with Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery before the case is set to go to trial next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His plea comes after California Attorney General Rob Bonta suggested he does not want to pursue <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/settlements\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"916\">settlement<\/a> talks to resolve his multistate lawsuit against the $111 billion <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mergers-and-acquisitions\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"616\">merger<\/a>.<\/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\/business\/4684194\/new-york-investigation-prediction-market-betting-wager-deceptive-marketing\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>New York launches investigations into four major prediction market companies<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4684208\/xavier-becerra-california-settle-paramount-warner-bros-lawsuit\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Xavier Becerra urges California to settle Paramount-Warner Bros. lawsuit ahead of trial<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4683134\/airlines-talking-ice-tsa-uptick-illegal-immigrant-arrests-airports\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US airlines talking with ICE and TSA amid uptick in illegal immigrant arrests at airports<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hope it settles before court,\u201d he said at a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/video\/2026\/08\/11\/becerra-on-paramount-wbd-deal-i-hope-its-settled-before-court-2132130\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/video\/2026\/08\/11\/becerra-on-paramount-wbd-deal-i-hope-its-settled-before-court-2132130\"><em>Politico<\/em> event<\/a> on Tuesday in Sacramento. \u201cIt is easier to stand in a conference room and settle than it is to stand in a courtroom. I say that having had to stand both in the conference room and in the courtroom. You get way more done in the conference room than you do in the courtroom.\u201d<\/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\">Becerra served as California attorney general from 2017 to 2021 and has some professional experience with antitrust cases. He said those cases are \u201cvery difficult\u201d because they involve so many facts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former state attorney general did not address the merits of Bonta\u2019s case, but he did express that the lawsuit should benefit <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hollywood\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"133\">Hollywood<\/a> first and foremost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn terms of what\u2019s going on in this particular case, the entertainment industry is our baby in California,\u201d Becerra said. \u201cWe have to fight to keep it vibrant.\u201d<\/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\">\u201cIf a merger is good, that helps \u2026 that keeps it vibrant, I\u2019m willing to say, let\u2019s take a look,\u201d he added. \u201cIf that merger undermines the ability of the industry of remaining vibrant, then I\u2019m going to take \u2026 a closer look as well. At the end of the day, is it good for the entertainment community in California? Does it benefit California families to have another merger occur? And then, at the end of the day, who will settle it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit, filed by California and 11 other blue states, seeks to block the merger under federal antitrust law. Bonta is concerned that the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. entity will have too much market power in the theatrical film distribution and basic cable markets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As it stands, the trial is set to start on March 2, 2027, and last for two weeks in court.<\/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\">Instead of going to court, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"16440\">Paramount<\/a> wants to negotiate a settlement with the states. However, Bonta has proved immovable in his intent to litigate the case in court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paramount CEO David Ellison is reportedly planning to move his business out of California to another state as soon as Oct. 1 if there is no progress on settlement talks by then. Bonta dismissed the company\u2019s reported relocation threat as \u201cblackmail,\u201d which Paramount denies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra took a more moderate stance than Bonta, arguing Paramount\u2019s possible exit from California would not be economically beneficial for the state.<\/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\">\u201cHaving a major player in the industry leave would not be good,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the same time, I said as well, \u2018Is it going to be good for working families?\u2019 Having them leave the state is certainly not good for working families. So let\u2019s be adults, not be kids. Conference room, not courtroom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4682914\/rob-bonta-paramount-threat-ditch-california-warner-bros-merger\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4682914\/rob-bonta-paramount-threat-ditch-california-warner-bros-merger\/\">ROB BONTA CALLS PARAMOUNT\u2019S THREAT TO DITCH CALIFORNIA \u2018BLACKMAIL\u2019 TO FORCE SETTLEMENT TALKS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gubernatorial front-runner\u2019s comments are notable, considering Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1426\">Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA) has refrained from publicly commenting on Bonta\u2019s lawsuit against the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Recent reports indicate Newsom is concerned about the antitrust case because a blocked merger could have an adverse effect on local employment in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/entertainment\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"47\">entertainment<\/a> industry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate who will face Becerra in November, called Bonta\u2019s antitrust lawsuit \u201ctotally politically motivated\u201d while saying the Democratic attorney general\u2019s arguments against the merger \u201cjust don\u2019t add up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Becerra urges California to settle antitrust case before trial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2643587,"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\/AP26224030017391.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,54802,68291],"class_list":["post-2643586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-paramount-2","tag-warner-bros-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26224030017391.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643586","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=2643586"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2643590,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643586\/revisions\/2643590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2643586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2643586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2643586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}