Exec says accusation he leaked private company information is a ‘completely false narrative’ created in a ‘shakedown’ attempt

Jeff Shell, the president of Paramount Skydance, accuses a “fixer” who demanded $150 million from Shell for crisis communications of trying to extort and defame him by “creating a completely false narrative that Shell disclosed confidential details about Paramount’s business.”

Shell was sued on March 9 by RJ Cipriani, who alleged in the lawsuit that he had an 18-month relationship with Shell during which Cipriani would tip Shell off to upcoming news articles and provide advice. The lawsuit also alleges that Shell shared non-public information with Cipriani about Paramount’s plans.

A copy of Shell’s cross-complaint filed in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles can be found at this link.

Shell’s filing seeks unspecified monetary damages from Cipriani, as well as an “injunction restraining Cipriani from further defaming Shell.”

“Shell refuses to be shaken down – he has done nothing wrong,” Shell’s counterclaim reads. “Shell owes Cipriani nothing and is bringing these counterclaims to recover damages he has suffered as a result of Cipriani’s ruthless, malicious campaign to extort and defame him. Shell further expressly reserves the right to supplement these counterclaims and seek full restitution and recovery against Cipriani and his agents who knowingly participated in his defamatory and extortionary scheme.”

According to Shell’s cross-complaint: “RJ Cipriani did not come to court to enforce a so-called oral agreement. He came to complete a shakedown. Cipriani’s playbook works as follows: use a trusted two-way connection to cozy up to a high-profile target; look for the edge of the target’s world while creating the illusion of proximity; falsely claim that you helped the target from behind the scenes; then strike – demand compensation for your unsolicited efforts and, if not paid, weaponize that fiction, and the added threat of public exposure of equally false and salacious lies, to extract a huge payday.”

The legal filing continues: “Cipriani followed this script in his attempt to take down Jeff Shell. But Cipriani — an inveterate gambler and self-described “fixer” — overplayed his hand. He thought he could manipulate Shell, the president of Paramount Skydance Corporation, into paying millions in hush money to prevent Cipriani from sabotaging Shell’s reputation. did not make such information public and he refused to pay a cent. Under California law, Cipriani’s use of threats to extract money was extortion.

Regarding the March 9 lawsuit filed by Cipriani, Shell’s cross-complaint reads: “In a last-ditch effort to exert leverage, he named Shell’s wife, Laura, as a defendant and published the Shells’ home address in his publicly filed complaint – a criminal move that has no bearing on any claim and was clearly intended to harass and threaten them. Cipriani’s claims against Laura rest entirely on a trumped-up allegation that Shell ostensibly transferred assets to Laura to avoid having to the money Cipriani owes under the fictitious alleged agreement. There is no factual or legal basis for any of this. But Cipriani’s actions have made it clear that neither the law nor the truth will hinder him.

there is more to come