Paramount, California attorney general scrap meeting over merger legal battle

Officials at Paramount and California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s (D) office canceled a meeting set for Monday as tensions hold between the two sides over a planned mega-merger the media conglomerate is pursing with Warner Bros. Discovery.

In a statement on Monday, Bonta accused Paramount of leaking the details of a previous meeting to media outlets, which he said compromised discussions between the two sides.

“My office had a meeting with Paramount on Friday. Paramount did not maintain the confidentiality of that meeting,” he said. “Not only did Paramount leak the alleged substance of settlement discussions, but they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith.”

Bonta added, “As soon as Paramount stops playing games and engages sincerely, my office is happy to meet again.”

Paramount, in a statement of its own said it “shares” the attorney general’s concerns about “the public discussions and misreporting that has surrounded this deal.”

“As we have assured the Attorney General’s office, Paramount has not been the source of the leaks of any of our confidential discussions with the AG’s office,” the company said. “We remain hopeful and stand ready to continue good faith discussions to resolve the Attorneys General suit and move forward with our plans for increased competition and increased output to the benefit of the talent and entertainment workers.”

California is one of a nearly a dozen states suing to block the Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery merger on antitrust grounds , arguing in court the deal would harm competition in the business of media and entertainment.

The conglomerate is led by David Ellison, an ally of President Trump and the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, one of the richest people in the world.

Democrats and media watchdogs have raised concern for months about the future of Warner Bros. Discovery under David Ellison’s control, specifically its top news asset cable channel CNN. A slew of Hollywood figures have also pushed back on the deal.

David Ellison has insisted Warner Bros. and CNN would remain editorially independent under Paramount, which since his takeover has implemented sweeping changes to CBS News, most notably at Sunday evening news program “60 Minutes.”

Earlier this summer, Paramount agreed to put the merger on hold until California’s suit is litigated, with a jury trial currently slated for next spring.