David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance asked the judge overseeing the antitrust lawsuits filed by 12 states and the WGA to force the plaintiffs to pony up a whopping $1.88 billion bond to cover the company’s losses related to the delay in its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
\n\nParamount filed the motion Monday with Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin, who has scheduled a trial start date of March 2, 2027. The $1.88 billion would be payable to Paramount in the event Paramount prevails in the antitrust litigation.
\n\nParamount “hereby moves this Court for an order modifying the Stipulation and Order Not to Close, Dkt.170, to require dissolution of that order unless Plaintiffs post a $1,884,726,092.73 bond by September 30, 2026,” the company said in the motion.
\n\nIn a statement to Variety, a representative for Paramount said, “Today, Paramount requested that the court enforce the statutory requirement that the plaintiffs post a bond in connection with their pending litigation, which blocks us from closing our merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.”
\n\nVariety has reached out to the California Department of Justice and the WGA for comment on Paramount’s motion.
\n\nThe 12 states, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued in federal court in July to…
Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/