President Donald Trump’s legal team has requested an extension of court deadlines in his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global, filed in a Texas federal court.
The lawsuit, initially seeking $10 billion but amended in February 2025 to demand $20 billion, stems from allegations that CBS’s “60 Minutes” program deceptively edited an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to mislead voters and cause Trump financial harm, particularly to his Truth Social platform and Trump Media and Technology Group.
The claim centers on CBS airing different portions of Harris’s response to a question about U.S.-Israel relations on “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation,” which Trump’s team argues violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
In a filing on Friday, Trump’s attorneys, joined by co-plaintiff Rep. Ronny Jackson and Paramount’s legal team, cited “active settlement discussions, including continued mediation” as the reason for requesting the extension. They proposed moving the deadline for Trump’s response to CBS’s motion to compel evidence from June 16 to June 30, CBS’s reply to Trump’s response from June 23 to July 7, Trump’s motion to compel from June 30 to July 14, and CBS’s response to Trump’s motion to compel to July 28.
The parties emphasized that they are not seeking to extend deadlines for CBS’s pending motion to dismiss, which the network plans to reply to by June 23, 2025.
Settlement talks have been ongoing, with reports indicating Paramount offered $15 million, which Trump rejected, seeking at least $25 million and an apology.
The Wall Street Journal noted that Trump’s team also threatened another lawsuit against CBS during these discussions. Paramount’s interest in settling is reportedly tied to its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which requires Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for transferring CBS’s 28 broadcast licenses. Some speculate a settlement could ease regulatory hurdles, though FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has stated the lawsuit and merger review are unrelated. However, Carr has linked the lawsuit to an FCC investigation into alleged “news distortion” by CBS, raising concerns about potential license revocation.
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