Business
New Jersey Black, Hispanic chambers urge AG to drop Paramount merger fight
The Center Square – New Jersey’s African American and Hispanic business chambers want Attorney General Jennifer Davenport to drop a lawsuit that would block…
By Tom Joyce · 2026-09-15T22:10:12.311Z
The Center Square – New Jersey’s African American and Hispanic business chambers want Attorney General Jennifer Davenport to drop a lawsuit that would block Paramount Skydance from buying Warner Bros. Discovery.
The chamber leaders say the court fight would hurt business in their state and that New Jersey has spent years building up its film industry.
The move adds to pressure from Hudson County Democrats who want Davenport to end the dispute.
John Harmon, CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, made the case https://www.aaccnj.com/op eds in a Sept. 3 op ed. He said the state had spent too much taxpayer money on the industry to sink the deal.
Harmon said politicians should instead focus on who benefits from the deal and the state’s film tax credits. He asked, “How will those investments produce economic opportunity for the full spectrum of New Jersey businesses and residents?”
John Lucas, who heads the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, voiced similar concerns. He said film industry growth would help local businesses.
“This is exactly the kind of opportunity our community has organized for decades to secure,” Lucas told BINJE https://binje.com/sectors/film/african american and hispanic chambers urge ag to stop fighting paramount deal/ .
Lucas said the film industry even benefits contractors and food service companies. He said the lawsuit threatens those gains while adding costs for the state.
The $110 billion deal faces a lawsuit https://www.cbsnews.com/news/states sue to block paramount warner bros discovery merger/ from 12 state attorneys general, including Davenport. They say combining the companies would hurt competition and increase consumer prices for things like cable bills, streaming service subscriptions, and movie ticket prices.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office hasn’t said what she thinks about the possible merger yet, according to a Washington Examiner report https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/4708318/new jersey attorney general paramount merger lawsuit/ .
The Center Square previously reported https://yournews.com/2026/09/02/7184444/nj democrats ask ag to stop fighting paramount merger cite/ that Hudson County Democrats had voiced concerns about the lawsuit.
Their Aug. 31 op ed https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/lawmakers new jersey shouldnt fight the creative economy it worked so hard to attract/ pointed to 1888 Studios, a $1.2 billion project in Bayonne where Paramount is a major tenant. Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, Bayonne Mayor Sharon Ashe Nadowski, and state legislators signed the op ed.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration supports the deal.
The Justice Department closed https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement department justice antitrust division closing its investigation merger paramount its antitrust investigation June 12. It said it didn’t think the deal would hurt competition or consumers.
The companies have agreed to delay closing while the case proceeds. A Sept. 24 hearing is set on Paramount’s request for a $1.88 billion bond to cover potential costs of that delay, Reuters reported https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/paramount says california ag contradicted bond arguments tv interviews 2026 09 08/ .
This story originally appeared on thecentersquare.com https://www.thecentersquare.com/new jersey/article 13d7ba58 b74a 415d bd34 fd582ad2612d.html .