Resorts World Whistleblower Sues Hollywood Studio Boss for Alleged Breach of Contract

Robert James Cipriani, a man whose name became synonymous with lawsuits against Resorts World Las Vegas, has now initiated a lawsuit against Jeff Shell, the president of Paramount Skydance. In his complaint, Cipriani alleged that Shell did not pay him for 18 months of work he did for the company.

“The Oldest Form of Fraud”

The complaint in question was filed on March 9 in the LA County Superior Court. It says that Cipriani and Shell had negotiated an agreement to have the former man provide what was called “sophisticated, high-value crisis communications services.” In this role, Cipriani sought to guide Paramount’s media strategy and fostered coverage that painted the company in a good light.

In return, Shell had promised to develop a local version of the Spanish musical reality series Serenata De Las Estrellas and name Cipriani and his wife as co-executive producers.

However, the show was never produced, and Cipriani’s alleged 18 months of work for Shell went essentially unpaid. According to the complaint, the contract was purely oral, and Shell backed out of it. The complaint stated:

This case arises from the oldest form of fraud: a powerful man took everything a less powerful man had to offer, promised to repay him, lied to him when he asked about it, and then refused to compensate him at all.

Complaint excerpt

The complaint does not name Paramount, but names both Shell and his wife, Laura, as defendants.

Cipriani’s Lawsuits Against Resorts World Continue

In the world of gaming, Cipriani is best known as a high-stakes player and an adversary of Resorts World Las Vegas. Last year, Cipriani and businessman James Russel filed a complaint against the property, alleging that a number of former Resorts World executives, including ex-president Scott Sibella and ex-vendor David Chesnoff, were involved in a racketeering scheme that led to illegal bookmaking, money laundering, and witness tampering.

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit further claimed that Resorts World retaliated against Cipriani’s whistleblowing.