California attorney general cancels talks with Paramount, accuses company of leaks

Paramount insisted it has “not been the source of the leaks” about confidential talks with California, which sued to block the company’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

California’s attorney general called off a meeting Monday with Paramount Skydance to discuss a potential settlement of the state’s antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the media company’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

In a statement Monday morning, California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirmed he “pulled down this meeting” and accused Paramount of “playing games.”

“I prefer to resolve disputes in the boardroom, not the courtroom. As I’ve also said, if the opposing party in litigation wants to meet in good faith to make a sincere effort to resolve the case, we’ll meet,” Bonta said in part.

Bonta accused Paramount of leaking “the alleged substance of settlement discussions” that were held on Friday. “But they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith,” the Democratic official added.

A Paramount water tower; California Attorney General Rob Bonta.Getty Images fileIn response to a request for comment Monday, a spokesperson for Paramount said the company shared Bonta’s “concerns about the public discussions and misreporting that has surrounded this deal.”