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Oregon’s attorney general withdrew a motion Friday that sought to delay the closing of Paramount’s roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The move clears one obstacle from a deal that could close as early as July 22, though significant legal and regulatory challenges remain from other states and international bodies.
Earlier this week, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s office had asked a Multnomah County Circuit Court to push the closing date back by 60 days. The office argued it needed more time to review documents after Paramount responded slowly to information requests. The state specifically sought records related to Paramount’s lobbying of the White House and the Department of Justice, as well as materials tied to an internal regulatory push the company called Project Warrior.
How Oregon framed its decision to withdraw
Withdrawing the motion did not signal a change of heart from Rayfield’s office. A spokesperson said Paramount had made clear it did not plan to comply with the state’s investigative demand and acted as though it was above the law. The office said it chose to stop spending state resources on what it described as delay tactics, and that the withdrawal was a step to consider next moves rather than an admission that the matter was resolved.
Paramount welcomed the decision and called it the right outcome. The company described the merger as lawful and argued throughout the process that Oregon’s document requests fell outside the scope of the antitrust questions under review.
What still stands between Paramount and a closed deal
Oregon’s withdrawal does not end the scrutiny around the merger. California and New York are among the states still examining whether the deal violates antitrust law. Regulators in the United Kingdom are also weighing in. Some states could still seek an injunction to stop the deal before the expected July 22 closing date, making the next week a critical window.
Paramount has already secured regulatory approval in Australia, Canada and China. The company continues working toward clearance from the European Commission and UK authorities. It has pointed to those international approvals as evidence the deal does not raise the competitive concerns its critics have cited, arguing instead that combining the two studios would strengthen competition against dominant streaming platforms and support investment in content and jobs.
How Hollywood is responding to the Paramount merger
The proposed deal would bring together two of Hollywood’s four major studios. Actors, writers and other industry figures have continued to voice opposition, raising concerns about potential job losses if the merger goes through. That opposition has not resulted in any successful legal challenge so far, but the public pressure has remained steady throughout the approval process.
With the possible closing date days away, attention now falls on California, New York and the UK. Whether any of those bodies moves to seek an injunction before July 22 will determine whether the deal closes on schedule.
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