Whistleblower Escalates Lawsuit Against Paramount, Ellison Family

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Las Vegas gambler and whistleblower RJ Cipriani has escalated his dispute against Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell, adding the media giant, its board, the Ellison family, and RedBird Capital Partners to his $150 million lawsuit. Cipriani has accused Shell of failing to pay for crisis management services and leaking non-public information. He is now also accusing the group of negligent supervision of Shell and claims that President Trump assured Larry Ellison that he would intervene in Netflix's $83 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Why it matters

This case highlights the complex web of relationships and alleged quid pro quo deals at the highest levels of the media industry, raising questions about corporate governance, transparency, and the influence of powerful individuals and political figures.

The details

In a new amended complaint, Cipriani is accusing the group of negligent supervision of Shell. He also claims that President Trump assured Larry Ellison that he would intervene in Netflix's $83 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, allegedly saying: 'Larry, it looks like Netflix is gonna get Warner Bros., but if you really really want it, Larry, I'll make sure you get it.' Cipriani also alleges that a $10 billion payment by Oracle and its co-investors to the Trump administration in the TikTok deal is a 'quid pro quo' for Trump's personal assurance that the administration would support and facilitate Paramount's acquisition of WBD.

• On March 17, 2026, RJ Cipriani escalated his dispute against Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell.
• On March 5, 2026, Cipriani said he spoke with lead investigator Nick Hanna regarding the probe into his claims against Shell.

What’s next

The claims against Shell are currently being investigated by the outside law firm Gibson Dunn, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.