Paramount Prevails In Bid For New Judge In Federal Antitrust Case

Paramount Skydance has prevailed successful its first tribunal move to take sides its Warner Bros. Discovery merger — prompting nan departure of a judge who initially had been assigned nan high-profile antitrust case.

Late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín took complete nan lawsuit brought by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 different Democratic authorities attorneys general. The states’ conjugation is attempting to derail Paramount’s proposed $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging it violates a century-old antitrust law.

Court records show U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts, based successful San Jose, had initially been assigned. Early Wednesday, Paramount revenge a mobility requesting that Pitts measurement aside, citing his erstwhile domiciled arsenic a labour lawyer, including for nan Writers Guild of America.

The WGA joined nan legal fray Tuesday by bringing its ain antitrust title against Paramount, alleging nan projected national of 2 of Hollywood’s biggest studios would lead to less jobs and little salary for writers.

In its motion, Paramount based on that Pitts’ past relation pinch nan Hollywood national was problematic.

“A reasonable personification would mobility Judge Pitts’ impartiality successful this lawsuit based connected his anterior work,” Paramount’s attorneys, led by Jeffrey Kessler, wrote successful their eight-page motion.

Martínez-Olguín has been overseeing a abstracted suit that besides challenges Paramount’s merger pinch Warner Bros.

Five Paramount+ subscribers sued successful precocious April to unravel nan merger, claiming Paramount’s projected consolidation of streaming services, movie studios and nationalist news networks — CBS News and CNN — would lead to higher prices and harm to consumers.

Paramount, successful its motion, had requested that Martínez-Olguín preside complete nan authorities attorneys wide lawsuit.

Martínez-Olguín scheduled a Friday proceeding successful Oakland to measure Bonta’s petition for a impermanent restraining bid to forestall Paramount from finalizing nan blockbuster transaction while nan litigation is pending.

She joined nan national chair 3 years agone aft being nominated by erstwhile President Biden. She was confirmed by nan Senate successful 2023 erstwhile erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris formed a deciding ballot to break a Senate deadlock.

The judge is simply a erstwhile migration attorney.

Pitts, who is based successful San José, besides has served arsenic a judge for 3 years. In December, he decided a important lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that barred ICE agents from making courthouse arrests.

Both sides went on pinch nan judge switch, pursuing a long-standing ineligible believe of having 1 judge oversee related cases.

The 3 lawsuits, each revenge successful nan Northern California district, whitethorn yet beryllium combined.