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Paramount pays $16M to settle Trump lawsuit amid critical merger review
Trump hailed the outcome as a “big and important win” and hinted at a further $20 million in anticipated payouts from Paramount’s future ownership group.
While Trump’s lawsuit has now been formally dismissed, the backdrop is hard to ignore.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed a legal victory this week, announcing a $16 million settlement with Paramount Global over a lawsuit alleging deceptive editing in a 60 Minutes interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020, Reuters reported. But the timing of the settlement raises eyebrows, as Paramount awaits federal approval for its high-stakes $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump hailed the outcome as a “big and important win” and hinted at a further $20 million in anticipated payouts from Paramount’s future ownership group.
“This settlement does not include PSAs or anything related to PSAs,” Paramount said in a statement, refuting a prior New York Post report that Skydance CEO David Ellison had committed up to $20 million in public service announcements to support causes favored by Trump. The company added it had “no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those put forth by the mediator.”
Read More: Paramount to pay $16 million to settle Donald Trump lawsuit over edited Kamala Harris interview
While Trump’s lawsuit has now been formally dismissed, the backdrop is hard to ignore. Paramount’s merger with Skydance still requires Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval. Although the 180-day informal review window closed in May without a decision, FCC Chair Brendan Carr has denied that Trump’s lawsuit had any influence on the review process.
Skydance, which is backed by Ellison—son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, plans to take over Paramount by first acquiring National Amusements, the Redstone family’s controlling stake, before merging the two companies. David Ellison is set to become the next CEO of the merged entity.
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