Jeff Shell has been sued by a former public relations advisor who says the Paramount Skydance president reneged on a deal to help produce a TV show.
R.J. Cipriani, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in California state court, alleges Shell promised to pick up an English-language format of a Roku reality show he co-created and exec produced as payment for providing crisis communication services. He brings claims for breach of oral contract and fraud, among several others, and says he’s owed at least $150 million.
Cipriani, a high-stakes gambler at the center of the dispute, sparked the internal investigation and SEC inquiry into Shell for improperly disclosing details about the timing and structure of Paramount’s $7.7 billion media rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship almost a month before its August 2025 announcement.
In the lawsuit, Cipriani says Shell shared with him confidential information, with the aim of suppressing negative stories about him and circulating favorable coverage for the company. One example: Shell last year solicited his advice on wrangling between Paramount Global and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on a new streaming deal, according to the complaint. Cipriani says he was involved in a story in The Hollywood Reporter exploring the fight, saying he shifted the public narrative in Paramount’s favor and saved the company $1.5 billion.
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