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Red states try to stop suit against Paramount Skydance
Iowa and Montana attorneys general say the states cannot use antitrust law to block a $110 billion deal already cleared by federal and EU regulators.
Republican attorneys general Brenna Bird of Iowa and Austin Knudsen of Montana asked the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the $110 billion Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Bird and Knudsen contend the lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys uses politicized enforcement against a merger already cleared by the U.S. Department of Justice and European Union regulators.
Jen Green of the Iowa attorney general's office said federal statutes mandate that "State against State lawsuits be filed in the U.S. Supreme Court," asserting California refuses to stay in its lane.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a settlement, citing concerns that ongoing disputes have stalled filming and harmed LA-based entertainment jobs.
A federal trial is scheduled for March 2, 2027, regarding the deal, which Paramount Skydance delayed until June 2027 following separate litigation from the Writers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America East.