A coalition of media, press and film organisations has asked a federal California court to reject Paramount Skydance’s settlement with 12 state attorneys general over its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. The groups argue that the agreement does not adequately address potential damage to competition, creative industries and independent journalism, and say the court should scrutinise the deal on behalf of the public.

The Block the Merger coalition filed its amicus brief after Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín allowed interested parties to submit arguments by 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on 25 September. The filing was backed by Free Press, the Committee for the First Amendment, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Future Film Coalition and the International Documentary Association; LULAC also filed separately against the settlement. The groups highlighted California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s earlier criticism of the merger before the states reached their agreement.