Overview
- Paramount filed a court motion Monday asking a federal judge to require 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America to post a $1.884 billion bond or else lift the court order that bars the merger from closing.
- The company says the number reflects roughly $1.3 billion in unrecoverable "ticking fees" that start at about $7 million per day after Sept. 30 plus about $190 million in added financing costs through mid‑2027.
- Federal law allows defendants in merger suits to seek security but Judge Araceli Martínez‑Olguín previously waived a bond when she granted the order pausing the deal, and she has set a merits trial for March 2, 2027.
- Paramount notes regulators in about 68 jurisdictions, including the U.S. DOJ, cleared the deal and says the bond would protect it if the states’ challenge is rejected, while the states call the move coercive and say they will press their antitrust case.
- A hearing on the bond is scheduled for late September and observers say the motion could increase pressure to settle because prediction markets put a roughly 20–25% chance the deal fails by mid‑2027 and prolonged delay could affect jobs, theater releases, financing and a potential break‑up fee deadline.