Gavin Newsom signaled his support on Friday for settlement talks in the antitrust suit seeking to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
When asked about his stance on the controversial merger and the antitrust suit from 12 states challenging it at a press appearance in San Francisco, the California governor gestured to remarks made by the state‘s attorney general Rob Bonta earlier in the week. “Look, I was appreciative, I think this week, earlier this week, you heard the attorney general himself say he‘d prefer this settled in the boardroom, not the courtroom,“ Newsom said. “So I think there‘s some universal sentiment there, if that‘s possible. The question is if that‘s possible. And what‘s the best deal, what’s the landing? And that has to be worked through.”
The governor suggested that talks were already happening to determine a way forward for the parties. “That’s a process that’s unfolding, I assure you, in real time,“ he said on Friday. “I know there are many meetings that are going on and there’s a lot of conversation about what that could look like, but the attorney general is not just representing the state of California, he‘s also part of this coalition with a dozen other states. So we also have to be mindful of that coalition as well.”
