South Park, failed TV deals and alleged extortion: Inside the fiery battle between a media mogul and a high-stakes gambler

Paramount Skydance boss Jeff Shell says he's the victim of an extortion plot – a claim the accused dismisses as entirely untrue - (Getty Images)

A lawsuit filed Monday by Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell claims he is the target of a multimillion-dollar extortion plot by a high-stakes gambler, FBI informant, and film producer who, in a recent suit of his own, accused the studio head of violating U.S. securities laws, as well as stiffing him on a promised streaming TV deal.

In his filing, Shell alleges R.J. Cipriani – who says he was never paid for 18 months of crisis communications he undertook on Shell’s behalf – is carrying out a $150 million “shakedown” against him, based entirely on “utterly false” and “salacious” lies.