A federal judge has set a trial date of March 2027 for the antitrust lawsuit against Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros, according to Amit Atias (N12). The deal remains frozen pending the court's ruling or until June 1, 2027, after a coalition of 12 states challenged the merger.
The legal battle over Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros took a procedural step forward Tuesday when a federal judge set the antitrust trial for March 2027. The schedule, reported by Amit Atias (N12), comes after the US Department of Justice concluded its review without opposing the deal, while a coalition of 12 states led by California filed a lawsuit to block the merger on competition grounds.
The merger has been in legal limbo since July, when a federal judge in California issued a temporary restraining order following the states' antitrust lawsuit. The parties later agreed to a freeze that prevents completion until five days after the trial or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first. The Justice Department's clearance, announced in June, removed federal regulatory hurdles, but the state-level challenge remains.
The Zioneer previously reported on the DOJ's unconditional approval in June and the subsequent court-ordered freeze in July. The March 2027 trial date sets a clear timeline for the resolution of the case, though the deal's ultimate fate will depend on the court's ruling.
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