DOJ seeks $1.9 billion bond from states blocking Paramount merger

The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to require 12 states challenging Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery to post a bond covering potential losses from delaying the transaction. Paramount says the delay could cost at least $1.88 billion in fees and other damages, while the DOJ argues the states are acting as private enforcers of federal antitrust law and therefore should provide financial security. The states and the Writers Guild of America oppose the demand, arguing that courts commonly waive bond requirements when states sue to protect the public interest and that Paramount is seeking to shift costs it previously accepted. The merger remains on hold, with a trial scheduled for March.