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  "description": "Settlement draws ire from Democrats and free speech advocates alike",
  "path": "/paramount-pays-16m-to-settle-60-minutes-suit/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-07-03T19:45:35.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
  "tags": [
    "_which was dismissed_",
    "All Videos from Speeding BEAD Summit",
    "_a position supported_",
    "_announced in July 2024_",
    "_saddled_",
    "_stands to net $2.4 billion_",
    "_on the hook_",
    "_in the publication _Puck__",
    "_drew sharp criticism_",
    "_a March letter_",
    "_disputed those allegations_"
  ],
  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, July 3, 2025 – Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle its $20 billion lawsuit with President **Donald Trump**.\n\nParamount stated that the $16 million will be used to pay for the legal fees of Trump and fellow plaintiff Rep. **Ronny Jackson** , R-Texas, and for Trump’s future presidential library. No amount of money will be paid directly to Trump or Jackson, according to the company’s statement.\n\nThe media conglomerate drew ire from Trump after CBS, which it owns, aired a ‘60 Minutes’ episode with **Kamala Harris** that the President claimed was deceptively edited. The Center for American Rights filed a complaint against Paramount, _which was dismissed_ by then-Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman **Jessica Rosenworcel** four days before she left office. However, her successor, **Brendan Carr** , reopened the complaint shortly after taking office, while Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit, claiming the edits were “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference.”\n\n\n\n_****FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT****_\n _****Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?****_\n_****Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD****_\n _****Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance****_\n _****Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills****_\n\n All Videos from Speeding BEAD Summit \n\nThe company’s decision to settle drew immediate criticism from Democratic FCC Commissioner **Anna Gomez**.\n\n“This moment marks a dangerous precedent for the First Amendment, and it should alarm anyone who values a free and independent press,” Gomez wrote in a statement sent to _Broadband Breakfast_.\n\nGomez alleged the payout was intended to curry favor with the administration and secure approval for Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance Media.\n\n“Despite repeated attempts to deny the obvious, this Paramount Payout is a desperate move to appease the Administration and secure regulatory approval of a major transaction currently pending before the FCC,” Gomez said.\n\n“Had Paramount chosen to fight this in court, they would have prevailed on the facts and the law. But instead of standing on principle, Paramount opted for a payout,” Gomez said.\n\nGomez called on the FCC to bring the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance before the full commission for a vote, _a position supported_ by Sens. **Edward Markey** , D-Mass., and **Ben Ray Lujan** , D-N.M.\n\n### _Critics say Paramount’s settlement a strategic move to save Skydance merger_\n\nParamount _announced in July 2024_ its intention to merge with Skydance Media and form “New Paramount.” National Amusements, which owns a controlling stake in Paramount, is currently _saddled_ with more than $400 million in debt.\n\nNational Amusements President and CEO **Shari Redstone** , whose family owns National Amusements and _stands to net $2.4 billion_ from the deal, pushed for a settlement with Trump, though Redstone reportedly recused herself from decisions dealing with his lawsuit.\n\nHad the FCC denied the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance, or simply waited until the mid-October to make a decision, Skydance could have pulled out of the deal, and left Paramount _on the hook_ for a $400 million termination fee.\n\nThat, combined with Redstone’s need to come up with an additional $550 million to satisfy creditors, could have presented Redstone with a “nightmare scenario” according to former JP Morgan Chase managing director **Wiliam Cohan**.\n\n“It’s not at all clear where Shari Redstone would come up with the $550 million she would owe her creditors if the Skydance-Paramount deal falls through, and the consequences are mind-boggling,” he wrote _in the publication _Puck__.\n\nParamount denied that its decision to settle was related to its proposed merger with Skydance, stating that it had treated the suit “completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process.”\n\nAs part of the settlement, the company agreed to “release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns.” Paramount refused to apologize or express regret for airing the ‘60 Minutes’ episode.\n\n### _House Democrats decried FCC probe as political pressure tactic_\n\nCarr’s decision to relaunch the investigation _drew sharp criticism_ from House Democrats, who argued that it was a politically motivated probe designed to extort Paramount while silencing critics of the administration.\n\n“Your partisan goals are transparent and inappropriate, particularly given your previous experience as FCC General Counsel,” Reps. **Frank Pallone** , D-N.J., **Doris Matsui** , D-Calif., and **Yvette Clarke** ,D-N.Y., wrote Carr in _a March letter_.\n\n“Your pursuit of these actions is clearly intended to punish and burden broadcasters and other media companies by inflicting incalculable reputational harm and excessive costs to defend themselves,” they continued. “This is an obvious effort to create additional leverage in Trump’s settlement negotiations and encourage payment in a sham lawsuit in exchange for favorable regulatory outcomes.”\n\nCarr _disputed those allegations_ in an exclusive interview with _Broadband Breakfast_.\n\n“What I can tell you is that we'll give everybody a fair shake, and I think that's a departure from where a lot of President Biden's policies went,” Carr said. “We are returning to an even-handed treatment for everybody and the people that politically were benefiting from the weaponization of the government now feel like they're getting discriminated against when the reality is they're just getting even-handed treatment.”\n\nA spokesperson for President Trump’s legal team argued that Trump delivered “another win for the American people” and that “CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle.”",
  "title": "Paramount Pays $16M to Settle ‘60 Minutes’ Suit",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-11T03:26:53.854Z"
}