{"id":7381,"date":"2026-07-16T06:42:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7381"},"modified":"2026-07-16T06:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:42:51","slug":"paramount-gets-new-judge-in-state-ags-antitrust-challenge-to-wbd-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7381","title":{"rendered":"Paramount Gets New Judge In State AGs Antitrust Challenge To WBD Deal"},"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\tThe State of California et al v. <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/paramount\/\" id=\"auto-tag_paramount\" data-tag=\"paramount\">Paramount<\/a> Skydance Corporation et al has been reassigned to Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin, and it appears that an initial hearing to consider a temporary restraining order on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is still set for this Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tJudge P. Casey Pitts was initially assigned <a data-id=\"1236981542\" data-type=\"post\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/paramount-warner-bros-merger-temporary-restraining-order-1236981542\/\">the case<\/a>, which was filed Monday in federal court in the Northern District of California by a dozen state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta. Paramount filed a motion earlier Wednesday <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/paramount-judge-recusal-warner-bros-antitrust-case-1236983206\/\">seeking to have the judge\u00a0recused from the case<\/a>. The company\u2019s attorneys argued that Pitts has an \u201cappearance of bias\u201d because of his prior legal work for the Writers Guild of America. The <a data-id=\"1236982226\" data-type=\"post\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/wga-sues-over-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-1236982226\/\">WGA filed a separate suit<\/a> Tuesday to block the merger.<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ u-margin-tb-250 u-margin-t-4@desktop-xl u-margin-b-3@desktop-xl\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  u-margin-b-025 u-border-t-4 u-padding-t u-border-color-brand-red\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated Stories\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<div class=\"u-flex u-padding-tb-1 u-border-t-1 u-border-b-1 u-flex-direction-column@mobile-max u-border-color-grey-medium-light\">\n<article class=\"o-card  u-flex u-flex-flex-grow-1 u-width-100p@mobile-max u-width-50p\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/paramount-judge-recusal-warner-bros-antitrust-case-1236983206\/\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  u-width-150 u-margin-t-1\">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-3x2 a-crop-16x9 u-margin-t-n0\" style=\"\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img 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\/07\/GettyImages-2263189576.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"\" width=\"\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"o-card  u-flex u-flex@mobile-max u-flex-flex-grow-1 u-padding-l-125@tablet u-margin-t-125@mobile-max u-width-100p@mobile-max u-width-50p u-border-l-1@tablet u-border-dotted-l@tablet u-border-color-grey-medium-light\">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/paramount-warner-bros-merger-temporary-restraining-order-1236981542\/\" class=\"\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  u-width-150 u-margin-t-1\">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-3x2 a-crop-16x9 u-margin-t-n0\" style=\"\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img 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\/FOR-CAROUSEL-ONLY-Rob-Bonta-and-David-Ellison.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"\" width=\"\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tPitts had been randomly assigned to the case Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tParamount\u2019s legal team had requested the AG\u2019s case be reassigned to Judge Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn in Oakland County, who is overseeing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/04\/paramount-sued-antitrust-block-warner-bros-deal-1236877774\/\">a related lawsuit that was brought by a group of consumers\u00a0<\/a>in April. There already has been some expectation that the case would be reassigned to her, even before Paramount\u2019s latest motion, given previous filings that the litigation is related.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tEarlier today, a Paramount shareholder <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/07\/paramount-shareholder-lawsuit-fiduciary-duty-trump-wbd-1236983298\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1236983298\">filed a suit<\/a> in Delaware Chancery Court against the Ellisons and the board on behalf of the company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThese are critical days for proposed $110 billion deal, which Paramount has been hoping to close in the third quarter.<\/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>The State of California et al v. Paramount Skydance Corporation et al has been reassigned to Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin, and it appears that an initial hearing to consider a temporary restraining order on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is still set for this Friday. Judge P. Casey Pitts was initially assigned the case, which was&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/paramount-california-flag-warner-bros.jpg?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7381","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\/7381","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=7381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}