Oregon AG asks court for 60‑day pause to review records in Paramount‑Skydance takeover

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said this week he would ask a state court to delay Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery while Oregon reviews records tied to its antitrust probe. The request seeks a 60-day bar on closing after the company substantially complies with the state’s records demand, according to the Oregon Department of Justice. The state said Paramount had not turned over documents tied to lobbying around the deal and was “evading review.” Paramount has told Oregon it does not intend to close before July 16, but the company has not agreed to a longer pause, the state said. ### Why is Oregon in court if the federal review is already over? The U.S. Justice Department said on June 18 that it had closed its investigation of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. In that statement, the Antitrust Division said it had completed its analysis of the merger and took no enforcement action. (doj.state.or.us) State attorneys general can still investigate and sue under state and federal antitrust law after federal enforcers stand down. NBC News reported last month that California was already pressing its own challenge to the transaction, leaving open the prospect of parallel state litigation even after the federal review ended. (justice.gov) ### What exactly is Oregon asking the judge to do? Oregon’s July 7 filing notice said Rayfield would ask Multnomah County Circuit Court to order Paramount to produce documents related to the merger investigation within three days of a court order. The state also asked the court to block Paramount from closing the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition for 60 days from the date of substantial compliance. (nbcnews.com) The Oregon Department of Justice said the missing material includes records about Paramount’s lobbying efforts. Rayfield said in the state’s release that “no company gets to dodge the law just because it’s racing to close a multibillion-dollar merger.” ### What is the records fight really about? (doj.state.or.us) Oregon said its antitrust review depends on documents the company has not yet produced. The state’s release did not say that the court had already found Paramount in violation, but it did say the company had “refused to comply with state law” and was withholding records sought by investigators. (doj.state.or.us) Reuters, published by NBC News, reported that Oregon linked the dispute to lobbying records and said the company was trying to close before the state could complete its review. That makes the timing of document production central to whether Oregon can decide whether to bring a broader challenge. ### Where does California fit into this? (doj.state.or.us) California had already emerged as the main state-level obstacle to the transaction before Oregon’s move. NBC News reported on June 18 that California was pursuing its own challenge to the deal after the Justice Department ended its review. Oregon’s filing does not merge the two state efforts, but it adds another state attorney general publicly pressing for more time and more records. (nbcnews.com) That matters procedurally because separate state actions can move on their own timetables and in their own courts. ### What happens next in the case? (nbcnews.com) Multnomah County Circuit Court was set to hear Oregon’s motion on July 8 at 1:30 p.m., according to the attorney general’s office. The state said it would ask the judge in person to compel document production and impose the requested 60-day pause. (doj.state.or.us) Paramount told Oregon it did not plan to close the deal before July 16. The next concrete milestone is whether the court grants Oregon’s request, and whether Paramount produces the records within the three-day window sought by the state. (doj.state.or.us)