Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros Discovery and the coalition of state Attorneys General seeking to block David Ellison’s $111 billion merger will meet for a court-ordered settlement conference at the end of October.
Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson in Oakland directed the parties to sit down for “two consecutive days in the end of October,” with the in-person conference scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. PT, according to the source material.
The development puts the opposing sides in the same room next month, but California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office is emphasizing that the meeting should not be read as a sign that a deal is taking shape.
“A court-ordered settlement conference means the judge required both sides to meet, but it does not indicate a settlement is in progress. This is standard course in a case of this magnitude,” Bonta’s office told Deadline on Friday.
Bonta is leading the coalition of a dozen state Attorneys General that is fighting to stop the proposed merger. The case remains on a separate litigation track, with an antitrust trial still scheduled to begin March 2, 2027.
That trial date is unchanged by the planned settlement conference. The court-ordered meeting creates an opportunity for the parties to discuss possible resolution, but the Attorney General’s office made clear that the proceeding itself does not establish that Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros Discovery and the AG coalition are actively nearing a settlement.
What Happens Next?
The parties are now expected to appear in person for the two-day settlement conference at the end of October. Unless the sides reach some form of agreement, the antitrust trial challenging the merger remains set for March 2, 2027.