October 14-15 have been set to be the days in which both sides of the lawsuit will meet to evaluate settlement options
In a court order issued on Tuesday, Judge Thomas S. Hixon has ordered both sides to meet for settlement talks ahead of the lawsuit trial filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other attorneys general against Paramount Skydance to prevent its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Settlement talks are a mandated part of all lawsuit proceedings. Both sides, which include the Writers Guild of America in favor of Bonta, will discuss issues such as “their settlement objectives; any impediments they perceive; whether they have enough information to discuss the settlement,” among other settlement-related topics.
The meeting will take place in Courtroom E in San Francisco and will precede the actual trial that is scheduled to take place in March of 2027, unless a settlement is agreed upon before then.
This new advancement in the case comes after Rob Bonta cancelled the original settlement talk date last month over alleged misconduct at the hands of Paramount Skydance.
California Attorney General Rob BontaCredit: Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Before Bonta’s rescheduling, Paramount CEO David Ellison had threatened to have his company leave California if Bonta failed to negotiate a settlement soon. While there has been no official announcement confirming whether or not Ellison will follow through with this decision, TMZ reported today that Bonta’s and the L.A. Mayor’s Office were told Paramount would announce their departure from California yesterday.
While Mayor Karen Bass’ office would not confirm whether this report was true, they sent a statement assuring the mayor is committed to ensuring the film industry stays in L.A.
“Mayor Bass is focused on protecting and fighting for jobs in LA, including critical jobs in the entertainment industry that have been a vital part of Los Angeles’ economy. She’s been engaged on this issue and will continue to fight to make sure LA is home to Hollywood.”
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Mayor Bass had previously expressed her support for the merger, saying it will help keep Paramount in Los Angeles and save the jobs at risk. She was criticized by the WGA for this sentiment.
Bonta led the lawsuit against the largest merger in the history of Hollywood, which will cost Paramount $110 billion. In a statement, the attorney general cited “higher prices” and “fewer opportunities for important stories to come to life” as the motivators behind halting the merger.
The L.A. County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) confirmed these concerns in a report predicting that 4,500 workers could lose their jobs and $4.06 billion in business output could be lost if the merger goes through.