Block the Merger Coalition Urges Court to Reject Paramount-Warner Bros. Settlement

The Block the Merger coalition has filed an amicus brief urging a federal court in California to reject the settlement that 12 state attorneys general reached with Paramount Skydance over its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Free Press, the Committee for the First Amendment, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Future Film Coalition and the International Documentary Association filed the brief late Thursday. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, who is presiding over the case, had granted interested parties permission to file amicus briefs earlier that day, setting a deadline of 12:01 a.m. PT on Sept. 25, after the coalition filed an emergency motion requesting leave to file.

The legal move follows a settlement between the state attorneys general and Paramount over proposed legal action against the merger.

"Since the terms of the consent decree were announced on Monday morning, few outside of those with a financial interest in this deal have suggested that it addresses the harms to competition, creativity, and independent journalism this merger will cause for years to come. The deal has been met with silence, skepticism, or tepid support at best," the groups said in a joint statement.

"The arguments laid out in this brief reflect the concerns that just days ago, California Attorney General Bonta also willingly voiced. While we may never know what caused the radical turnabout to deliver such a toothless settlement, we do know that this consent decree bucks governmental safeguards designed to protect the public from harm. The court should reject it outright."

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has also filed an amicus brief against the settlement.

The filings put cultural and press-freedom organizations in direct opposition to a settlement that would otherwise clear a major regulatory hurdle for one of Hollywood's most consequential consolidations in decades.