State AGs Escalate to Emergency Motion Seeking Immediate Block of Paramount-WBD Merger

California AG Rob Bonta and a coalition of 11 other state attorneys general filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on July 13, seeking to immediately halt Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery after the companies declined to pause the deal voluntarily. The filing escalates the states' antitrust lawsuit filed hours earlier the same day, aiming to freeze the transaction before Paramount can close it as soon as July 22.

Key takeaway: Moving from a lawsuit to an emergency injunction request signals the states see a real risk the deal closes before their case is heard, raising the stakes on one of the industry's largest pending mergers.

Source: doj.state.or.us