California leads multistate antitrust lawsuit to block Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

Published July 13, 2026 2:20pm ET | Updated July 13, 2026 2:20pm ET



California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a multistate antitrust lawsuit on Monday seeking to block the anticipated merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The civil action comes one month after the Department of Justice approved the merger. The federal government concluded the merger will increase competition in Hollywood and ultimately lead to benefits for American consumers and workers. The 12-state coalition, however, contends that the opposite is true.

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