A coalition of twelve state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to halt Paramount's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The AGs—from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington—argue the deal violates the Clayton Act by reducing competition in wide‑release theatrical distribution, blockbuster film licensing and basic‑cable channel sales. California AG Rob Bonta warned the merger would raise prices, lower quality and shrink content choices, noting the combined firms would control 27 percent of wide‑release theatrical distribution and 30 percent of anticipated blockbuster films.

Paramount counters that the suit misapplies antitrust law and that the merger would create a stronger, well‑capitalized competitor to Netflix and Disney, preserving jobs and expanding consumer choice. The company cites its plan to release at least 30 films annually and to bolster streaming competition, with WBD already holding over 140 million global subscribers and Paramount+ about 80 million. The AGs seek an injunction, while regulators in the EU and UK continue separate reviews, with a provisional U.S. decision deadline of July 22.