California AG Calls Ellison's Paramount Relocation Threat a 'Blackmail' Tactic in Antitrust Fight

California Attorney General Rob Bonta blasted David Ellison’s threat to relocate Paramount out of California as a blackmail-style move aimed at pressuring a settlement in the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery antitrust case. Ellison said Paramount could begin exiting California on Oct. 1 if talks don’t start, with Georgia, Texas, or Tennessee on a possible relocation shortlist. New court filings and public comments frame the dispute as a high-stakes battle over merger approvals and competition, with observers skeptical that any settlement could satisfy the states’ antitrust concerns as Paramount pushes to close the deal.