Oregon Backs Down From Effort to Delay Massive Paramount-Warner Bros Merger

A Last-Minute Legal Skirmish Ends Without a Winner

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield withdrew the state's records request and motion to delay the closing of the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, according to a filing with the Multnomah County Court on Friday, July 11. The retreat came just days after the state escalated its pressure campaign — and it left both sides claiming the other had blinked first.

Rayfield had asked a court on Wednesday to extend the closing date by 60 days, arguing that his office needed more time to investigate because Paramount Skydance had not been responsive to records requests. That request asked for documents about 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 referred to as "Project Warrior."

What Was "Project Warrior"?

"Project Warrior" was Paramount's internal code name for its efforts to obtain regulatory clearance for the massive media deal. Oregon wanted a look inside that operation — specifically, how the company worked the levers of power in Washington. The state was also asking for records related to the company's efforts to lobby the Trump administration for support of the merger.

Paramount argued that the state's request had "nothing to do with whether this transaction complies with Oregon's antitrust laws" and that it had ample opportunity to investigate, noting that it had given Rayfield's office over 822,000 documents, in addition to a further 1.2 million documents provided by Warner Bros. Discovery. That's a staggering paper trail — and Paramount used it to argue the state had no legitimate basis to demand more.

Both Sides Declare Victory, Neither Fully Has It

A Paramount spokesperson said, "We are pleased that the Oregon Attorney General has withdrawn its motion to delay this transaction. It was the right decision and avoids an unwarranted effort to delay a lawful, pro-competitive merger." The company was emphatic: regulators around the world had looked at this deal and found no problem with it.

Oregon's office told a very different story. A spokeswoman for the AG's office said, "Paramount made it clear that they weren't going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they're above the law. We're not going to let them waste Oregonians' resources on these games." The withdrawal, in other words, was framed as a tactical pause — not a surrender. Oregon's Department of Justice said it withdrew the motion "to consider our next steps."

The Merger Still Faces Hurdles — But the Finish Line Is Close

The Paramount-WBD merger is expected to close by the end of the third quarter, and it has already received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice and Warner Bros. shareholders. Other countries where the deal has received clearance or where relevant waiting periods have expired include Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and more than a dozen others, while foreign direct investment authorities in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and several other European nations have also signed off.

Paramount has said that the deal will not close prior to July 22, when the European Commission will decide whether to clear it or refer it for a more in-depth Phase 2 investigation. A group of U.S. state attorneys general led by California's Rob Bonta are also mulling possible litigation to block the deal. Oregon may have stepped back from the courtroom for now, but the broader state-level resistance to this merger is far from finished — and with a July 22 European Commission deadline looming, the next few weeks could prove decisive for one of the biggest media consolidations in history.