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Judge Extends Emergency Order Pausing Paramount
Deadline • • general
Key Points:
- A federal judge extended the temporary restraining order (TRO) pausing the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger by two weeks, delaying the transaction closure until at least August 17.
- Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín cited multiple reasons for the extension, including the need to resolve preliminary injunction motions and disputes over the hearing schedule and format.
- Paramount requested a three-day evidentiary hearing to determine whether a preliminary injunction should be granted, which could halt the merger for an extended period during legal proceedings.
- The judge instructed Paramount, the plaintiffs (including state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America), to meet and propose a joint plan for moving forward, with a report due by July 24.
- The original TRO was set to expire on August 3, and while the judge cannot extend it further unilaterally, the parties may agree to maintain it if they reach a stipulation on an extended briefing and hearing schedule.
