States Prepare Lawsuit to Block Paramount Warner Merger

newsJul 12, 2026173,086

A coalition of state attorneys general is preparing to file a lawsuit this week to halt Paramount’s proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a move described in reporting as a potential major obstacle to the deal. Critics warn the merger would harm competition; Paramount has denied those charges. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield has become involved in the matter, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta has signaled the possibility of a lawsuit that prompted Paramount to explore relocating operations from California. Reporting says Ellison’s confidantes have discussed moving Paramount’s headquarters and reallocating roughly $30 billion in planned spending outside California if the state sues. The UCSD MACRO Lab published a report titled The Costs of Consolidation arguing the merger would damage media and culture. Separately, Oregon’s attorney general recently dropped a motion seeking court-ordered document production from Paramount after the studio said it was “pleased” and the AG’s spokesperson responded, “They think they’re above the law.”

Norm Eisen

@normeisen.bsky.social

BREAKING States Prepare Lawsuit to Block Paramount Warner Merger If accurate, 1 of the most important developments yet in the fight to stop authoritarianism in the US We @democracydefendersaction.org have been proud to work with AMAZING partners to help lead the #BlockTheMerger movement. Kvelling!

19736h ago

Christine Valada11

Good. Delay this until Paramount gives up. That’s what the asshole billionaires try to do every time.

JoeCGiles1

Fascists need to be stripped of their control of media, not given more.

Sal Santamaura1

It's already too late for See BS, but may those states' attorneys general succeed wildly in their blocking efforts.

Marnelva Moo1

This must be why yesterday Mark Levin was screaming "there are no oligarchs or monopolies" -- preemptively.

Devin𓅃1

Holy moly! Trump's comments today on CNN are not going to help.

Rick H1

Consolidation of the Paramount Sky Dance media with Warner Brothers under the leadership of David and Larry Ellison will result in control of the news and entertainment content availability for consumers, and provide a platform for another conservative point of view in addition to Fox News.

Quoting this

Mark Ruffalo222

Thank you for fighting the good fight always Norm. You are on a winning streak!

AmyAlexCA4

Related: Apparently the #Ellisons are playing Chicken with CA’s AG. www.semafor.com/article/07/1...

clarissa3

I’m hanging out with my friends rn and literally started doing little jumps of joy

Hughes3

Don't underestimate the importance of this case ahead of the elections, CNN and other major media in the hands of fascists & oligarchs would be extremely dangerous.

Alyssa Christian Ⓥ3

We need to stop this

COOLJEN3

DEAR GOD, PLEASE BE TRUE...

Mark Ruffalo

@markruffalo.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/b... It’s amazing what a group of committed passionate people can do. For all you who signed onto the letters, film makers and journalists, and kept pushing, speaking to the AGs and sharing your stories…Thank you. They said it was inevitable, it’s not. #blockthemerger

4216h ago

Socrates Poole5

It would be a disaster. The Ellison’s can’t even keep CBS viable

David4

We need to end the monopolies of the communications industry. cbwrong.blogspot.com/2026/07/when...

Quoting this

ElizabethC 💙🐸46

It is not healthy for society to have virtually all of its news & entertainment sources in the hands of a small group of oligarchs. Tell your state gov'ts to support this initiative, and thank the ones pushing it. #ProudBlue

The Desert Veteran

@jkz12769.bsky.social

Katie Phang testified in front a Senate's Committee about the merger of Paramount & Warner Brothers. How the media is losing the Freedom of Press & Speech by this Regime & ULTRA RICH. youtu.be/FotCWJdOjgo?...

33423h ago

Miss Fanny Tittington3

We can stop watching and we can stop buying products advertised on their platforms.

GemmaGem3

I believe TMC old movies are owned by WB. For people like me, who grew up in religious school and much of history was omitted completely, I'm learning history - what I should've learned in school - from old movies. Please don't let Fascists destroy our history. They do that. I've lived it!

Diogenes’ Heir Apparent3

@katiephang.bsky.social is an intelligent, tough lady, Trump hates those. Prefers 13 yr old girls as opponents. She should have been supported from the start, along with @joyannreid.bsky.social and @donlemonofficial.bsky.social. Jimmy and Stephen are great, but wtf, is the embedded racism so deep?

Freedah Kaylow1

It's about controlling the narrative by pumping lazy thinkers with misinfo designed to manufacture outrage 😤. Given to us by immigrant Rupert Murdoch, perfected by FOX and podcasters\influencers who like to throw burning matches into puddles of kerosene then step back and watch it burn, baby burn. 🔥

Quoting this

Amy Kroczkowsky 🇺🇦3

If you watch nothing else tonight, please listen to Katie Phang’s testimony.

DiscussingFilm

@discussingfilm.net

Paramount is considering a relocation of all its operations from California if the state decides to sue to stop the Warner Bros takeover. (Source: www.semafor.com/article/07/1...)

2695h ago

Fly me to the June, or: taken for a Pride107

Lmfao literally leaving Hollywood? These people are fucking stupid.

Catfox59

I just want Paramount to lose already! I'm tired of this stupid game!!!!

mattriarc.bsky.social39

Lmao imagine the budget costs they'll have to spend to one relocate their operations, but two to pay people to exclusive move and fly to a different state. No one's buying their bluff, if they're stupid enough to do it someone will probably end up buying them out in a few years due to profit loss.

SP2418

The Ellisons are cowards. Call their bluff.

Ultra-Shounen-Kai-Z12

But where? Moving all assets from California are very difficult compared to Chevron and Twitter. David Ellison is really a manchild who can't accept defeat.

Toon4Thought10

I get the impression they would want to do that regardless just to stick it to the woke left or some shit. Not that they'd succeed.

Quoting this

Andrew 🐻125

Ya know what... go for it, Skydance... keep making decisions that put you deeper into a hole than you already are in just because you're run by dumb rich stubborn dipshits...

Taylor Ledbetter13

Ellison: “This deal is GOOD for Hollywood, I swear!” Also Ellison: threatens to move business out of Hollywood Also, he does know it’s not just California suing, right? Multiple states are in on the lawsuit. Moving wouldn’t really do shit.

SJWJamesBond13

David Ellison is a spoiled brat.

Straw Hat11

And how much will this cost and add to Paramount’s massive debt from the Skydance deal + buying WBD? Ellison, like many corporate elites don’t seem to be bright and understand that their bullying is more hurtful for them than us

Urban Dragon Dice7

Oh please. See what happens when you leave the state that practically bends up the backwards for movie production, and try and set up operation in another state that won't play ball. I just want to see what happens

Lóng Shǔ Shàonǚ 🐭🪄7

:o Once again, I remind people of my friend Ozzy's insistence that Texas is the Rhodesia of North America.

𝕯𝕵𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖆𝖑 𝕺𝖋 𝕭𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖑𝖊5

TO FUCKING WHERE?!? I don't care for either company at all, fuck'em, but realistically, where in the country could they possibly go???

Tacomaster Studios5

Paramount I swear to fucking god

Ian Wilmoth4

A half-baked extortion attempt in potential case with state AGs? A bold move in deed

🐶🐇 Natalie, Being Repressed!4

💽 what will that even do except cost them like, millions.

Sam Fellowes

@sam-fellowes.bsky.social

Stop the Ellison-Trump global news take over. Tell the UK to block the deal action.eko.org/a/uk-block-t...

1516h ago

Oliver Douglas

@odouglaswriter.bsky.social

blockthemerger.com/uk I've been following this for a while and received an e-mail - they're now asking our help in the UK to push our government to actually do something about it rather than saying they're minded to. I've sent my letter. Will you?

8Yesterday

Tommy

@tvbarrows53.bsky.social

Mega media merger: This week, several states are likely to challenge Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes CNN, according to people involved in the legal process. Critics of the merger argue it would harm competition, a charge Paramount has denied.

812h ago

Eric Bolduc

@ericfinalfantasy.bsky.social

Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield is stepping into the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance.

8Yesterday

William Fitzgerald

@williamfitz.bsky.social

So proud to have worked on this campaign. When we started the smart people said this was a done deal. Remarkable what can be achieved if the right people come together and doggedly fight to win. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/b... #BlockTheMerger

66h ago

Dwight Williams 🇨🇦

@dewline.bsky.social

If true, this is a good thing. Governments of other nations where #Paramount and #Warner do business should do likewise. Now, please. #AntiTrustLawIsGoodLaw

56h ago

Lauren Ashley Davis

@laurenmeidasa.bsky.social

Ellison’s confidantes have pushed him to consider moving its corporate headquarters and reallocating much of its $30 billion in planned spending outside the state if California Attorney General Rob Bonta were to sue to stop the merger. www.semafor.com/article/07/1...

92h ago

Justin Brand #TuckFrump #BlockTheMerger

@justinbrand41.bsky.social

So even if this idiotic deal actually goes through, the combined Paramount and Warner Bros will be instantly choked by $80 billion in debt. Even Wall Street analysts have openly wondered if the combined company can survive rising interest rates and a soft... intellectia.ai/news/stock/p...

52d ago

nl56-92.bsky.social

@nl56-92.bsky.social

I just want them to block this merger already I'm tired of paramount refusing to leave warner bros alone.

85h ago

Kate Fortmueller

@kfortmueller.bsky.social

UCSD’s MACRO Lab brought together 23 scholars in North America to write about the broad quantitative and qualitative implications of the Paramount-Warner Bros merger and why this would be bad for media, culture and our lives. macrolab.ucsd.edu/paramount-wa...

5Yesterday

Daniel Miller

@danielnmiller.bsky.social

News: After Oregon’s attorney general dropped his motion asking a judge to order Paramount to turn over records related to its Warner Bros. purchase, the studio said it was “pleased.” But the AG’s spokesperson just told me, “They think they’re above the law.” The whole statement:

5Yesterday

Quoting this

Jimmy Darnell8

Ellisons thinks that their political connections makes them above the law,That so-call president can't protect them forever and getting/seeing that this merger gets blocked needs to beat the living hell out of Skydance evil ass. #BlockTheMerger

1 source

nytimes.comStates Prepare Lawsuit to Block Paramount’s Merger With Warner Bros. (Gift Article)

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