Pressure mounts on CBS, Paramount as judge declares motion to dismiss Trump's $20 billion lawsuit 'moot'

Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News in October, alleging election interference over its handling of the "60 Minutes" interview, accusing the network of aiding his Democratic rival through deceptive editing just days before the election. 

Last week, Trump's legal team amended the original lawsuit following the release of the unedited transcript and raw footage of its controversial "60 Minutes" interview. The lawsuit added CBS News' parent company Paramount Global as a defendant, citing how the "60 Minutes" election special was platformed on its Paramount+ streaming service. Additionally, the lawsuit added Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, as a plaintiff and increased the damages claim to $20 billion. 

U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk denied a motion from CBS and Paramount, who were seeking to dismiss for failing to state a claim and for improper venue. 

CBS sought to dismiss the case because it believed Texas is an improper venue, with the case being transferred from Texas to New York as an alternative. Kacsmaryk's moot ruling means it will remain in Texas for the time being. 

CBS and Paramount have 21 days to renew the motion to dismiss based on the amended complaint. 

Judge Kacsmaryk added, "Nothing in this Order shall be construed as a determination on the merits of either Plaintiffs' or Defendants' substantive arguments and claims in the Motions or Amended Complaint."

CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The victory for Trump comes as pressure continues to build on CBS. 

Last week, the FCC released the raw transcript and footage handed over by CBS News, which showed CBS News had aired only the first half of Harris' response to Whitaker's question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not "listening" to the Biden administration in a preview clip that aired on "Face the Nation," but aired only the second half of her response during the primetime special. 

"But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening," Whitaker said in the October 2024 interview. "The Wall Street Journal said that he- that your administration has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and in fact, he has rebuffed just about all of your administration's entreaties."

"Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we're not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end," Harris responded.

In the preview clip that aired on "Face the Nation," Harris was asked why it seemed like Netanyahu wasn't listening to the U.S. 

"Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region," Harris responded in the "Face the Nation" clip. 

"We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end," Harris said in the primetime special. 

CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder, is reportedly in favor of settling with the president. 

Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.