Paramount Pushes for Three-Day Evidentiary Hearing as Merger Injunction Looms

Paramount asked a federal judge to hold a three‑day evidentiary hearing in mid‑August to determine whether to block its Warner Bros. Discovery merger, after a two‑week TRO and an Aug. 3 hearing on the injunction; the studio proposed a mini‑trial the week of Aug. 17 or 24 and said the TRO should be extended to cover the decision. California and 11 other states have sued to block the deal, potentially imposing an eight‑month injunction and triggering a $7 million daily ticking fee if the merger closes after Sept. 30; the Writers Guild filed its own injunction request in a separate suit, and California’s attorney general says he’s reviewing the filing.