Oregon drops bid to delay Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. deal

Oregon dropped its bid to delay Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery after accusing the company of refusing to turn over records tied to the $111 billion merger.

Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s office has been investigating the proposed merger since it was announced in February 2026. In June, Oregon sent Paramount a narrow records request focused on three things: the company’s lobbying of federal officials in support of the deal, its role in a U.S. Department of Justice statement approving the merger, and an internal effort it called “Project Warrior.”

Oregon told Multnomah County Circuit Court that it wanted Paramount to comply within three days of any order and then pause closing for 60 days after substantial compliance. The state said Paramount refused to accept service, delayed for weeks, and then objected on the day the documents were due. Oregon also said Paramount told state lawyers it did not intend to close before July 16, even as the deal could close as soon as July 22.

Paramount argued the records request was irrelevant to Oregon’s antitrust concerns. After the motion was withdrawn, a company spokesperson called that step the “right decision” and said the state’s effort would have been an unwarranted delay of a lawful, pro-competitive merger.

The underlying deal would combine two of Hollywood’s four major studios, a concentration that has already drawn criticism from actors, writers and others who fear job losses.

Several states, including Oregon and California, are still examining whether the transaction violates competition law, while Paramount is also seeking approval from the European Commission and the United Kingdom. The company has already cleared antitrust hurdles in Australia, Canada and China.