Judge holds off on ruling in states' antitrust settlement with Paramount

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred A federal judge declined Thursday to rule immediately on a proposed settlement between Paramount Skydance and 12 state attorneys general, leaving the last major legal hurdle to the studio’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros.Discovery unresolved for now.U.S.

District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín did not indicate how she would rule, but said she wanted more information before deciding whether to approve the proposed consent decree, a court-enforceable agreement that would allow the merger to proceed under certain conditions..“I’m not the only one who has some questions for you all.

There’s lots of interest,” said Judge Martínez-Olguín.“I appreciate people are interested, but I also want to make sure that I have everything that I’m going to consider in front of me.”The judge said she would issue a ruling “in due course.”The hearing comes three days after California Atty.

Gen.Rob Bonta announced that the two sides had reached an agreement.

Hollywood Inc.Paramount’s settlement with California Atty.

Gen.Rob Bonta means the blockbuster merger with Warner Bros.

Discovery can move ahead.But the implications for California are still unclear.It requires the combined company to release at least 30 films in theaters each year, commit at least an additional $1.5 billion to domestic film production and set aside $47.5 million for workers affected by the merger.“When theater owners have publicly said that supply is the problem, those are voices that carry weight because they’re in the market,” said Paula Blizzard, an attorney for California, during the hearing.

“They are the people we’re trying to protect — the businesses and the competition that we are trying to protect.”The settlement proposal also includes stipulations on how basic cable channel negotiations must p...