Paramount Global Enters Settlement Talks with Trump Over 60 Minutes Lawsuit
Paramount Global has been engaged in detailed discussions with Donald Trump’s team to settle his lawsuit against CBS over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris last year. The lawsuit, which seeks $10 billion in damages, claims that the interview was deceptively edited, a claim that CBS has vigorously denied.
The talks come as Paramount Global seeks regulatory approval for its sale to Skydance, which requires the approval of the Trump administration. Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump to lead the FCC, has indicated that the 60 Minutes interview will be part of the review of the transaction.
Shari Redstone, Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder, has reportedly strongly supported a settlement, which would be a conciliatory gesture to Trump. A Paramount insider described the potential deal as “a lot easier for Shari and the whole company going forward.”
Trump’s legal team had a deadline to respond to CBS’ motion to dismiss the case, but they have asked the judge to push the date back a week. The lawsuit is seen as frivolous by many legal experts, and CBS has rejected Trump’s claims, saying that the interview was edited for time purposes and that it would “vigorously defend against” the lawsuit.
The settlement talks come as Trump has a long track record of filing lawsuits against media entities, with many of the major outlets successfully fighting the cases. However, the difference this time is that Trump is back in the White House, and there is widespread speculation that media companies will pursue other mergers that need regulatory approval or that they don’t want to deal with the hassle of the president’s wrath.
The potential settlement would be a significant departure from Trump’s usual litigation strategy, and it remains to be seen whether a deal can be reached. A Paramount Global spokesperson declined to comment on the settlement talks.