Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is asking for a 60-day pause before Paramount Skydance finalizes its planned $111 billion merger with Warner Brothers, saying the company has not provided records his office requested for a state antitrust review.
Rayfield’s office said the investigation covers the deal’s potential effects on Oregon’s film industry, the state economy and consumer choice. The request also seeks information about Paramount Skydance’s contacts with the Trump administration and the Trump Justice Department, including a federal government influence effort the company allegedly called “project warrior,” according to court papers described by the Oregon Department of Justice.
The federal Justice Department has already approved the merger, according to Techdirt. Oregon is moving separately, using state authority to demand records before the transaction closes. Rayfield’s office said Paramount Skydance told Oregon it does not plan to close the deal before July 16, but has not agreed to wait beyond that date while the state continues its review.
Oregon says Paramount delayed and objected
Rayfield accused Paramount Skydance of withholding information until the clock nearly ran out. In a statement, he said the company had “every opportunity” to provide records and answer basic questions, but instead tried to “run out the clock and evade scrutiny.”
According to Oregon’s Justice Department, court papers say Paramount Skydance declined to accept service of the state’s request, waited weeks to respond and then filed objections on the day the records were due. Oregon called those objections a baseless attempt to avoid producing documents.
The attorney general’s office is asking a court to keep the deal from closing for 60 days so investigators can review the requested material. Rayfield said Oregonians should get answers before the merger is completed, rather than after the companies combine.
Federal approval has not ended state scrutiny
The fight puts Oregon on a different track from federal enforcers. The Trump Justice Department’s approval removed one major barrier to the transaction, but it did not stop states from bringing their own challenges or seeking more information under state law.
The broader deal has drawn criticism from opponents who argue that another large media consolidation would reduce competition, pressure workers and creators, raise prices and narrow consumer options. Those concerns are claims made by critics of the merger, not findings from Oregon’s court request as described by the state.
The Oregon filing focuses on process as much as substance: whether Paramount Skydance must produce records before closing, and whether the state gets enough time to assess the transaction’s local impact. If the court grants the pause, the companies would face at least a short delay even after securing federal clearance.
This story draws on original reporting from Techdirt.