{"id":45725,"date":"2026-08-15T02:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=45725"},"modified":"2026-08-15T02:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:48:09","slug":"david-ellison-complains-about-cost-of-states-antitrust-suit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=45725","title":{"rendered":"David Ellison Complains About Cost Of States&#8217; Antitrust Suit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIn case you didn\u2019t already know, <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" id=\"auto-tag_paramount\" data-tag=\"paramount\">Paramount<\/a> CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/david-ellison\/\" id=\"auto-tag_david-ellison\" data-tag=\"david-ellison\">David Ellison<\/a> really wants to make sure this afternoon that everybody is clear those pesky state Attorney Generals and their<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/state-antitrust-lawsuit-paramount-warner-bros-1236980723\/\"> antitrust lawsuit <\/a>are ruining <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/02\/massive-merger-confirmed-paramount-and-wbd-reveal-details-1236738785\/\">a really good $111 billion thing <\/a>\u2014 and now even Mexico agrees with him. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cParamount and WBD could and would close today and begin delivering the benefits recognized by regulators around the world, theater owners and others across the industry but for the actions of just 12 state attorneys general,\u201d declares a Friday news dump by any other name from Paramount as America\u2019s immediate south neighbor joins \u201c68 countries worldwide, including the European Union, UK, Australia, Canada, Brazil, China, COMESA, the U.S. Department of Justice\u201d in approving the increasingly bitter merger<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cWhile we remain confident that the law and the facts are on our side, we have offered commitments and concessions and remain open to working constructively with the State AGs to find a path forward in the interest of our employees and the creative community in California and across the world \u2013 just as we have with the regulators in 68 countries worldwide,\u201d Ellison is quoted as saying. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Paramount-Worldwide-Clearance-8.14.2026_Redacted.pdf\">Read today\u2019s full \u201cnews announcement\u201d from Paramount Skydance here<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe long anticipated action from California\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/rob-bonta\/\" id=\"auto-tag_rob-bonta\" data-tag=\"rob-bonta\">Rob Bonta<\/a>, New York\u2019s Letitia James and other Blue State AGs against the MAGA inclined Ellison, Para and WBD was filed on July 13. The WGA leapt on the bandwagon with <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/wga-sues-over-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-1236982226\/\">a suit of their own<\/a>. With a truncated TRO in place, Oakland-based U.S. District Judge Araceli Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn soon after set a two-week trial to start on March 2 2027. <\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:100%; max-width:1024px;\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((577\/1024)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"Rob Bonta and David Ellison\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=150,85 150w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=1024,577 1024w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=178,100 178w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=660,370 660w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=1280,721 1280w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=1000,563 1000w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=910,511 910w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=681,383 681w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=450,253 450w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=250,140 250w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=296,166 296w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=248,139 248w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=200,112 200w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=270,152 270w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=60,34 60w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=352,198 352w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=285,161 285w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=640,361 640w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?resize=800,451 800w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"577\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-font-size-12 lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\" lrv-u-font-size-16 lrv-u-font-size-14@mobile-max lrv-a-font-body-m u-font-style-italic lrv-u-font-weight-bold lrv-u-font-family-primary u-line-height-20 u-letter-spacing-0 u-line-height-18@mobile-max\">California Attorney General Rob Bonta left, Paramount CEO David Ellison<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\" lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-color-grey lrv-u-font-size-10 lrv-a-font-basic-xxs lrv-u-margin-l-025\">Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tBoth sides have consequently dug<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/08\/dga-iatse-letter-paramount-wbd-lawsuit-concerns-1237032544\/\"> legal and PR trenches <\/a>to snipe at the other and rally endorsements. To that Team Ellison has dribble out a series of executive elite themed leaks in recent weeks, including <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/08\/david-ellison-exit-california-wbd-merger-suit-1237031004\/\">leaving the home of Hollywood for the likes of Texas, Tennessee or Georgia. <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThere are no settlement talks, though Paramount\u2019s legal boss <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/makan-delrahim\/\" id=\"auto-tag_makan-delrahim\" data-tag=\"makan-delrahim\">Makan Delrahim<\/a> has said <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/08\/paramount-warner-bros-merger-california-settlement-1237031558\/\">\u201ceverything is on the table\u201d <\/a>to make a deal with Sacramento and Albany. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tTo that Paramount claims they have submitted a number of concessions to the AGs, but they need some response by October 1 \u2014 which is when a $7 million a day ticking fee to WBD shareholders kicks in. That ticking fee, potential further payouts and the declining net worth of Papa Ellison and Oracle founder Larry, adds a multi-billion dollar bill for Paramount to the $80 billion debt the combo company will have on Day 1. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tTo that in perspective, the penalties bill that could exceed $10 billion, and see no ParaBros in the end. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tSo, reiterating a lot of the same talking points and math the company has been making for months, and offering none of the specifics the likes of<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/08\/paramount-merger-teamsters-protest-1237033400\/\"> the Teamsters and others have demanded,<\/a> we now have today\u2019s self-styled \u201cnews announcement\u201d from the Melrose lot. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAn announcement that is taking the blame game to great heights or lows, depending on your POV and who is blackmailing who \u2014 to paraphrase Bonta banger of earlier this week. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cRather than support a stronger Hollywood and deliver tangible commitments to invest in for the benefit of labor, talent and other industry participants, the current path the 12 State AGs are on additional delay for a trial beyond the engagement of the last 9 months will impose needless costs from penalty fees, litigation expenses and business disruption,\u201d Paramount asserts today. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tInstead of proclaiming investment in L.A. production (which the company received nearly $38 million in Golden State tax credits for earlier this week), Paramount pours gasoline on the fear fire. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cAs a business with many stakeholders, including pension and state retirement funds, Paramount is required to consider how it can absorb the unnecessary additional financial costs while preserving the longer-term strength of the combined company,\u201d the over 110-year old studio states. \u201cThe better path would be to resolve this through a settlement that would serve the interests of workers, consumers and the consumers in each of the 12 states.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tLet\u2019s just say, with a bit less ominous implications, the top law enforcement officials of some of the biggest and richest states in the union aren\u2019t buying into Paramount\u2019s premise. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve made our legal position clear:\u00a0As it stands today, the proposed Warner Bros.\/Paramount merger will mean higher costs, less competition, lower wages, job cuts, and fewer movies and TV shows,\u201d a spokesperson from the California AGs\u2019 office told Deadline in reaction to Paramount\u2019s Friday release  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cThis merger violates long-standing federal antitrust law,\u201d Bonta\u2019s team added in language we\u2019ve all heard dozens of times before the last month or so. \u201cFurther, as the court indicated when\u00a0it ruled in its July temporary restraining order\u00a0our case is likely to succeed on its merits.\u00a0The California Department of Justice remains committed to enforcing the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tLooks like, as Hollywood packs up for one of the last weekends of the summer, we have a very sticky stalemate. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In case you didn\u2019t already know, Paramount CEO David Ellison really wants to make sure this afternoon that everybody is clear those pesky state Attorney Generals and their antitrust lawsuit are ruining a really good $111 billion thing \u2014 and now even Mexico agrees with him. \u201cParamount and WBD could and would close today and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ellison-april-2026.jpg?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}