David Ellison threatens to begin moving Paramount out of California on Oct. 1 if California Attorney General Rob Bonta does not agree to negotiate a settlement in the state’s antitrust case, according to reports. The warning is attributed to Ellison’s remarks to Paramount executives and is framed as part of efforts to reach a quicker resolution of litigation involving Paramount and the planned Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Outlets describe the same deadline and condition: settlement talks would be required before Oct. 1, otherwise Paramount would start an exit process from the state. One report says the company’s board has approved a plan to carry out the move, while another focuses on Ellison’s intent to secure a swift negotiated settlement. The details on how the “exit” would be implemented are limited across coverage, but all accounts connect the threatened relocation to the ongoing negotiation stance in the antitrust dispute.
