Paramount Moves To Dismiss Lawsuit Seeking To Block Warner Bros. Deal

Paramount has finally fired back at critics of the media giant’s multi-billion-dollar deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, filing a motion to dismiss a lawsuit intended to block the merger. In its motion, the organization deemed the case “clumsy” and claimed that the real motive of the lawsuit is to “politicize antitrust law.”

Paramount asks court to dismiss lawsuit looking to block Warner Bros. merger

Paramount has pleaded with a California court to chuck out a lawsuit against the company that aims to stop its merger with WBD from materializing.

According to The Wrap, the legal team of the entertainment conglomerate filed the motion to dismiss on June 3 with the US District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.

In its appeal, the company stated, “The merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery presents an opportunity to revitalize Hollywood and the industry at large by creating greater competition that benefits consumers, theaters, and workers alike. This clumsy attempt to politicize antitrust litigation, untethered to any established antitrust principles or law, has no place in this courthouse and must be rejected.”

In the motion, Paramount also mentioned the potential adverse consequences that could follow if the Warner Bros. Discovery deal were to fail. “Netflix and other scaled tech platforms stand to benefit from a weaker Paramount and Warner Bros., but consumers, theater owners, and talent will suffer. Whatever upside Plaintiffs might see in such an outcome, it is not a pro-competitive one,” they said in the official statement.

Notably, a group of five streaming subscribers had filed the aforementioned lawsuit against Paramount a few weeks ago. They claimed that, if allowed, the deal could strengthen “Paramount’s ability and incentive to raise prices, reduce output, narrow slates, reduce quality, and worsen consumer-facing terms.”

At the time of writing, a hearing for the case is on track to take place on July 16. Meanwhile, Paramount plans to close the merger with WBD by September 30. However, the company reportedly hopes to cement the deal in July.

Source: Comingsoon.net