California AG Bonta Says Paramount's Threat to Exit State Won't Alter Antitrust Stance

California Attorney General Rob Bonta told a panel at the Atlantic Festival in New York that Paramount Pictures' warning it may relocate out of the state if a settlement is not reached does not change the state's position on the antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking the $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Bonta, speaking alongside Republican attorneys general from Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, said the company’s decision to stay or leave is entirely its own and that the state will enforce the law regardless of such moves.

He criticized a request for a nearly $1.9 billion bond as an attempt to create leverage in the case, adding that he expects the presiding judge to reject it, even as the Department of Justice under the Trump administration has sided with Paramount.

Although a settlement conference is scheduled for next month, Bonta acknowledged ongoing discussions between the parties and said the state remains open to a good-faith settlement that meets its objectives.

"We will do our job. We have a job to enforce the law without fear, without favor, and at the same time, we are always open to coming to the table if it is in good faith and is sincere," he said.

Bonta described the lawsuit as a straightforward antitrust case, emphasizing its basic legal nature.