Paramount Assembles Legal Team to Defend Warner Bros. Deal
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Jeffrey Kessler, a prominent antitrust litigator, has been appointed to defend Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal expected to reshape Hollywood.
- Paramount does not anticipate legal challenges from the Justice Department, state prosecutors, or foreign regulators but has prepared for potential lawsuits with a strong legal team including Kessler and former antitrust officials.
- A consumer lawsuit challenging the merger on antitrust grounds has been filed, with Kessler calling the complaint "baseless" and accusing it of political scaremongering lacking credible antitrust claims.
- Kessler is known for high-profile antitrust victories, such as his 2019 win against the NCAA and his role in a case against Live Nation that found the company operated as a monopoly.
- Paramount’s defense team also includes experienced antitrust lawyers from Winston & Strawn, Latham & Watkins, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore, actively seeking regulatory approval and defending against the preliminary injunction aimed at blocking the deal.