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California's 12-state lawsuit is the last wall between Paramount and a $110 billion WBD merger

9/1/2026

$110 billion is what the Warner Bros. Paramount cleared merger regulators in 68 countries, then ran into a 12-state lawsuit led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

That lawsuit is now the only remaining legal obstacle to closing.

The clearance count | Milestone | Count | |---|---| | Countries cleared | 68 | | States in AG coalition | 12 | Sixty-eight jurisdictions approved the deal. The regulatory path outside the United States is complete.

The domestic front is the exception, and it is where the transaction stalls. Bonta's coalition spans 12 states, with California at the lead. A multi-state attorney general action of that size is coordinated opposition.