California Attorney General Rob Bonta talked tough Thursday, claiming he has been winning his legal battle against Paramount Skydance\u2019s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery \u2014 but said he is \u201copen\u201d to settlement talks if Paramount comes to the table \u201cin good faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Atlantic Festival in Manhattan, Bonta crowed that the suit to block the $81 billion mega-deal is looking like a slam dunk, even as top Dems in the Golden State have been urging him to settle.<\/p>\n
Asked about the prospect of talks \u2014 as CEO David Ellison threatens to leave the state <\/a>and take thousands of jobs with him if Bonta doesn\u2019t drop the case \u2014 the prosecutor sounded a more conciliatory tone.<\/p>\n California AG Rob Bonta said he would come to the table for settlement talks with Paramount if the company is \u201csincere.\u201d Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe are always open to coming to the table if it is in good faith and it is sincere. And we will always explore an opportunity to get the results that we want based on our evaluation of the case at the table,\u201d Bonta said.<\/p>\n The AG, Paramount and the Writers Guild of America announced Tuesday they\u2019d hold two days of talks with an eye to reaching a resolution next month. Last month, Bonta cancelled a sit-down with Paramount at the last minute, accusing the studio of leaking inaccurate details beforehand.<\/p>\n Speaking Thursday, he again rejected Paramount\u2019s request for California and 11 other states joining his suit to put up a $1.88 billion bond<\/a> to address the costs of delay in completing the deal.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t have any right to that, in our view. I think it\u2019s buyer\u2019s remorse,\u201d Bonta scoffed.<\/p>\n He accused Paramount of trying to \u201crewrite an agreement\u201d to begin the trial next June, adding that the bond request was an \u201ceffort to manufacture, invent, generate leverage in the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Paramount boss David Ellison is threatening to pull his company from California if the lawsuit isn\u2019t settled. Variety via Getty Images<\/p>\n Recent weeks have seen Cali Dems including Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass publicly urge Bonta to settle with Paramount, saying it\u2019s vital to keep tens of thousands of Paramount jobs in the state.<\/p>\n Bonta projected confidence in the face of the mounting pressure from members of his own party \u2014 part of a Paramount strategy of turning him into a pariah, as The Post reported Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sued and we\u2019ve been winning in the case so far,\u201d\u00a0the prosecutor said.<\/p>\n If Paramount pulls out of California, it could cost the state tens of thousands of jobs. REUTERS<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThey continue threats to leave the state of California. I can\u2019t comment on what a company decides to do, especially a company that has professed a commitment to Hollywood and to California,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n \u201cIf they make that choice to leave, that is their choice and their choice alone \u2014 they own it. It lies at their feet. We will do our job. We have a job to enforce the law without fear, without favor.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n