{"id":2653181,"date":"2026-09-01T18:13:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T22:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nj-ag-drives-wedge-between-state-leaders-over-paramount-merger-lawsuit\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T18:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T22:16:13","slug":"nj-ag-drives-wedge-between-state-leaders-over-paramount-merger-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nj-ag-drives-wedge-between-state-leaders-over-paramount-merger-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"NJ AG drives wedge between state leaders over Paramount merger 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\">22<\/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%2Fnj-ag-drives-wedge-between-state-leaders-over-paramount-merger-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=2653181&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>Several New Jersey state leaders, including Governor Mikie Sherrill, appear to be divided over Attorney General Jennifer Davenport\u2019s decision to join a multi-state antitrust lawsuit against teh proposed merger between paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Finding. While Sherrill did not clarify her support for the lawsuit, she expressed enthusiasm about Paramount\u2019s film and television activities in New Jersey. The lawsuit has sparked internal disagreements,with some state officials raising concerns about the financial risks and taxpayer exposure associated with the legal battle,especially given the significant bond demands paramount has requested to cover potential losses. An op-ed by 11 New Jersey politicians urged Davenport to reconsider the state&#8217;s involvement or seek a prompt resolution, citing economic and fiscal concerns. Despite ongoing litigation, none of the involved states have exited the case, and recent developments suggest that settlement talks have been halted, indicating continued uncertainty over the lawsuit\u2019s future and the potential costs to taxpayers.  <\/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\">Multiple <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1065\">New Jersey<\/a> state leaders, including Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mikie-sherrill\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"19767\">Mikie Sherrill<\/a> (D-NJ), appear to be at odds with Democratic state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport\u2019s decision to take part in a 12-state <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1187\">antitrust<\/a> lawsuit against Paramount Skydance\u2019s pending merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sherrill declined to answer whether she supports Davenport\u2019s litigation led by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"60\">California<\/a>, but instead praised the Garden State\u2019s burgeoning partnership with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"16440\">Paramount<\/a> on film and television production.<\/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\/4708318\/new-jersey-attorney-general-paramount-merger-lawsuit\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>New Jersey attorney general drives wedge between state leaders over Paramount merger lawsuit<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4708302\/nicki-minaj-shark-tank-trump-administration\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Nicki Minaj to star in \u2018Shark Tank\u2019- style show for Trump administration<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4706792\/ftc-lawsuit-amazon-advertisers-hidden-surcharges\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>FTC and 22 states sue Amazon over alleged \u2018hidden surcharges\u2019 for advertisers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are excited to welcome Paramount to Hudson County because film is in New Jersey\u2019s DNA \u2014 we\u2019re Hollywood East and the only state where film shoots are up this year,\u201d the governor said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cNew Jersey is open for film business, so we are going to keep building, keep filming, and keep making it easier for companies like Paramount to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-passes-the-largest-infrastructure-package-in-decades-over-a-dozen-republicans-vote-in-favor\/\" title=\"Senate Passes The Largest Infrastructure Package In Decades, Over A Dozen Republicans Vote In Favor\">create good-paying jobs<\/a> and lay down roots in the Garden State.\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\">Sherrill\u2019s response came one day after 11 state politicians <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/local\/lawmakers-new-jersey-shouldnt-fight-the-creative-economy-it-worked-so-hard-to-attract\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/local\/lawmakers-new-jersey-shouldnt-fight-the-creative-economy-it-worked-so-hard-to-attract\/\">penned an op-ed<\/a> in the <em>New Jersey Globe<\/em> that raised concerns about the economic consequences New Jersey faces if 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> remains delayed and the costs that state taxpayers would have to bear if the litigation proceeds in court. Based on these concerns, the op-ed authors suggested one of two courses of action for Davenport to take.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe respectfully urge our Attorney General to withdraw our state from this action or work toward a prompt and reasonable resolution of this matter and to be a voice of reason in the room,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New Jersey attorney general\u2019s office declined to comment on the op-ed.<\/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\">While the state leaders did not express an opinion on whether the lawsuit will succeed, they argued that \u201cNew Jersey taxpayers are entitled to know whether they face any conceivable exposure, what the State has already spent and expects to spend, and whether those risks were evaluated before joining the litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A similar statement was made by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"327\">Arizona<\/a> Republican Senate President Warren Petersen, who <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4695074\/arizona-gop-hearing-paramount-merger\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4695074\/arizona-gop-hearing-paramount-merger\/\">exclusively told<\/a> the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> last month that he would request a public hearing on the potential financial burden taxpayers would bear if Paramount obtains its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4690169\/paramount-bond-financial-losses-warner-bros-merger\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/4690169\/paramount-bond-financial-losses-warner-bros-merger\/\">hefty bond request<\/a>. Paramount wants the $1.88 billion bond to cover its financial losses from the blocked merger. Starting Oct. 1, the company loses about $7 million every day the transaction is not closed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In New Jersey, the op-ed authors were alarmed by the bond\u2019s staggering price and the impact that would have on the state.<\/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\">\u201cParamount has now moved for approximately $1.88 billion in security against losses it attributes to the injunction action \u2014 an amount that could be assessed on a joint and several basis, meaning any one of the 12 states involved could have to cover the full cost,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4701237\/iowa-montana-plot-paramount-merger-fight-supreme-court\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4701237\/iowa-montana-plot-paramount-merger-fight-supreme-court\/\">IOWA AND MONTANA PLOT TAKING PARAMOUNT MERGER FIGHT TO SUPREME COURT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If anything, these statements from nearly a dozen New Jersey state officials and the governor show that the merger lawsuit is not popular enough to justify the cost of the state\u2019s involvement.<\/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\">So far, none of the 12 state plaintiffs have withdrawn from the lawsuit as California Attorney General Rob Bonta proceeds to trial. A settlement appears to be out of the question right now after Bonta canceled settlement talks with Paramount representatives last week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NJ leaders clash over Paramount merger lawsuit and costs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4389,"featured_media":2653182,"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\/09\/AP26161573063036.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50810,44332,33096,60029,52442],"class_list":["post-2653181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ag-2","tag-legal-dispute","tag-new-jersey","tag-paramount-merger","tag-state-leadership"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26161573063036.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653181","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\/4389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2653181"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2653185,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653181\/revisions\/2653185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2653181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2653181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2653181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}