Overview
- R.J. Cipriani amended his $150 million suit to add Paramount Skydance, David and Larry Ellison, RedBird Capital and the Paramount board, alleging negligent supervision of Jeff Shell.
- The new filing cites an alleged account that President Donald Trump told Larry Ellison he would ensure Paramount prevails over Netflix for Warner Bros. Discovery, a claim presented as Cipriani’s allegation.
- Paramount called the expanded lawsuit frivolous and said it will defend the claims vigorously, asserting there is no factual or legal basis for the allegations.
- On Monday, Jeff Shell filed a cross-complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Cipriani of extortion and defamation and denying that he disclosed non‑public information about the $7.7 billion UFC rights deal or WBD bid talks.
- An internal probe led by Gibson Dunn and a separate SEC review are ongoing, as the parties dispute the authenticity and meaning of texts and meeting accounts tied to Cipriani’s claimed crisis‑communications work.