Oregon Withdraws Motion to Delay $110 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger

The Oregon attorney general’s office on Friday withdrew a court motion that sought to delay Paramount's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. The move marks a procedural step back in one state's challenge, but the landmark media merger continues to face significant regulatory hurdles and opposition from other states.

Oregon's Position

The Oregon Department of Justice accused Paramount of failing to cooperate with its investigation, prompting the withdrawal. "Paramount made it clear that they weren’t going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they’re above the law," the department said in a statement to Reuters. "We’ve withdrawn the motion to consider our next steps."

Earlier in the week, Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s office had asked a Multnomah County court to compel Paramount to produce documents and to delay the transaction by 60 days. According to the state, Paramount had agreed not to close the deal before July 22 while the review was pending.

Oregon's investigation sought records related to:

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• "Project Warrior," Paramount’s internal code name for its strategy to secure regulatory approval.
• The company's efforts to lobby the Trump administration for support of the merger.

Broader Scrutiny Remains

Paramount expressed satisfaction with the decision. "We are pleased that the Oregon Attorney General has withdrawn its motion to delay this transaction," a company spokesperson told Reuters, reiterating that the merger is "lawful" and "pro-competitive."

Despite this development in Oregon, the deal is far from complete. The proposed combination of two of Hollywood's four major studios has drawn sharp criticism from industry professionals, including actors and writers, who fear widespread job losses. According to a Reuters report, the acquisition faces scrutiny from several other U.S. states, which could file lawsuits to block the deal on competition grounds as early as next week.