Tag

Rob Bonta

All articles tagged with #rob bonta

business5 days ago•6 min saved

Calif. AG's Paramount Blockade Seen as Political Theater, Critics Say

A New York Post columnist argues California AG Rob Bonta’s bid to block Paramount’s $81 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery is more political theater than solid antitrust action, fueled by Hollywood influence and public pressure from actor Mark Ruffalo. The piece claims the case rests on weak antitrust grounds, highlights perceived hypocrisy, and portrays Bonta as pursuing publicity ahead of potential gubernatorial ambitions.

via New York Post|

#antitrust #business #ellison-family

business9 days ago•17 min saved

Bonta Says Paramount Talks Possible If Leaks Stop and Talks Are Serious

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he’s willing to resume settlement talks with Paramount over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger only if the company stops leaking and negotiates in good faith; Paramount denies leaking and says it remains open to discussions, though a scheduled meeting was canceled as the states push for robust structural remedies across distribution and theater markets in a 12-state antitrust case, which could go to trial with roughly $1.3 billion in ticking fees already incurred.

via Variety|

#antitrust #business #leaks

business10 days ago•20 min saved

California AG says no Paramount-WBD settlement talks scheduled after session cancellation

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said there are no settlement talks scheduled with Paramount to resolve the antitrust challenge to the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger after he canceled a Monday session, accusing Paramount of leaking confidential negotiations; Paramount said it remains hopeful and ready to continue good-faith discussions. The case is moving toward a trial next March.

via Deadline|

#business #leaks #paramount

entertainment11 days ago•8 min saved

Ruffalo antisemitism row drags California AG into Paramount merger scrutiny

Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo sparked backlash by linking the Ellison-led Paramount merger to antisemitic tropes, prompting Paramount to condemn the rhetoric and a civil-rights attorney to file public-records requests to scrutinize California AG Rob Bonta’s communications with Ruffalo; Bonta had engaged with Ruffalo about the deal, and the merger remains paused as litigation and industry debate about antisemitism and antitrust continue.

via Page Six|

#antisemitism #entertainment #paramount

politics11 days ago•5 min saved

California Supreme Court weighs ballot custody in Riverside election probe

The California Supreme Court will hear two cases arising from Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of about 650,000 ballots during a post-election investigation, testing (1) whether seized ballots must be returned to election officials under state law, and (2) whether the attorney general has the authority to halt a sheriff-led probe, highlighting tensions between ballot safeguards and AG oversight in election administration.

via Democracy Docket|

#ballot-custody #california-supreme-court #election-law

business14 days ago•22 min saved

Bass pushes talks to shield L.A. film jobs as Paramount-WBD deal stalls

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged California AG Rob Bonta and Paramount to immediately negotiate a settlement to resolve the 12-state antitrust lawsuit blocking Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying a deal must protect jobs and keep production in L.A. while the industry faces uncertainty. She framed it as defending Los Angeles’ entertainment legacy, not taking sides; the WGA criticized her stance, and Paramount seeks to delay the merger with ticking fees while states push for structural remedies.

via Variety|

#antitrust #business #karen-bass

politics16 days ago•28 min saved

Bonta Brushes Off Ellison’s Pressure as Antitrust Battle Looms

California Attorney General Rob Bonta rebukes David Ellison’s pressure tactics in the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger case, saying the antitrust fight will be decided in court through structural remedies rather than PR stunts; relocation threats won’t end the case, and settlement talks remain possible only if credible, structural remedies are offered.

via The Hollywood Reporter|

#antitrust #david-ellison #merger

business24 days ago•17 min saved

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.

via Variety|

#antitrust #business #david-ellison

business25 days ago•16 min saved

Bonta Accuses Ellison of Misinformation in WBD Merger Fight

California Attorney General Rob Bonta pens a Deadline guest column arguing that Paramount Skydance's proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery would concentrate film distribution and cable markets, reducing competition and harming consumers; he frames the suit as a straight antitrust action, notes a court schedule for March 2027, and accuses Ellison of spreading misinformation and using side deals to influence the deal while the case proceeds in court.

via Deadline|

#antitrust #business #california

politics26 days ago•7 min saved

GOP charges Netflix-linked influence in Bonta’s Paramount‑WBD merger challenge

Republicans allege California AG Rob Bonta let Netflix-linked donations influence his lawsuit to block Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery; Bonta’s office says the antitrust filing rests on facts and law, while the DOJ found the deal unlikely to harm competition and Britain’s regulator cleared it, leaving California’s challenge as the remaining hurdle.

via Fox News|

#antitrust #netflix #paramount

business1 month ago•2 min saved

Paramount CEO Spotted at Disneyland Ahead of Warner Bros. Antitrust Battle

Paramount CEO David Ellison was seen in Los Angeles, including Disneyland, as California-led antitrust action presses against Paramount’s $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal. With a federal judge pausing the takeover, Paramount favors a November trial date while prosecutors push for April 2027; if unresolved after Sept. 30, Paramount faces about $650 million in quarterly ticking fees (roughly $7 million per day). Ellison and his team are reportedly in town for a decisive week.

via Page Six|

#antitrust #business #california

business1 month ago•18 min saved

Ari Emanuel Slams States’ Antitrust Push, Warning It Could Destroy Hollywood Competition

Ari Emanuel pens a Wall Street Journal op-ed defending Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery merger and blasting the multistate antitrust suit as “trash,” arguing it would undermine competition by ignoring growing rivals like Amazon MGM, Netflix, and Lionsgate. He warns the case could fatally harm Hollywood jobs and creative investment, notes Paramount‑WBD paused the deal amid litigation, and argues the merged entity’s proposed commitments would still leave it a competitive player. Emanuel urges state AGs to drop the case and let competition play out on the merits.

via Variety|

#antitrust-lawsuit #ari-emanuel #business

business1 month ago•5 min saved

Newsom Keeps Quiet as California Sets the Stage in Paramount-Warner Merger Fight

Gov. Gavin Newsom has remained largely silent on the California attorney general’s multi-state lawsuit to block Paramount’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, a strategic posture insiders say aims to avoid taking sides amid industry upheaval, donor optics, and his looming presidential bid, as the fight over the deal’s fate drags on and other players weigh in.

via Page Six|

#antitrust-lawsuit #business #gavin-newsom

business1 month ago•4 min saved

Paramount weighs uprooting HQ amid California-Warner Bros. merger clash

Paramount is weighing moving its corporate HQ and redirecting about $30 billion in planned spending out of California if AG Rob Bonta sues to block its Warner Bros. Discovery merger; no decision has been made and insiders call it brinkmanship. The company has a Bayonne, NJ lease as a contingency, argues the deal could protect jobs and production in CA, and points to broader industry shifts as justification for potentially relocating.

via Semafor|

#business #california #merger

politics4 months ago•24 min saved

Mickelson slams California AG over oil-pipeline standoff

Golf legend Phil Mickelson blasted California Attorney General Rob Bonta on X, calling him incompetent for handling the state’s oil-supply crisis after a Trump executive order allowed Sable Offshore to restart two Santa Barbara pipelines; Bonta countered that California is suing to block the restart to preserve state protections and avoid irreparable harm, as the dispute unfolds alongside an injunction and an $18 million fine against Sable Offshore.

via New York Post|

#california-oil-crisis #phil-mickelson #politics