TV writer and entertainment journalist Lauren J. Salkin has filed a lawsuit against Taylor Sheridan, Paramount, and NBCUniversal, claiming that the hit series Yellowstone was based on her original pitch. The complaint was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Friday.
According to the suit, Salkin developed a project titled Sovereign Nation over a span of more than 10 years, crafting a dramatic television series centered around tribal governance, casino-driven economic influence, and conflicts over land and development. She alleges that she submitted her pilot script, show bible, and pitch deck to Sheridan’s representatives at Elevate Entertainment in late 2016 and early 2017.
Salkin states that she received a response from Elevate on February 1, 2017, indicating that Sheridan was “unavailable for TV projects.” However, the complaint notes that Paramount greenlit Yellowstone within months of that rejection. The show premiered on the Paramount Network in June 2018 before moving to Peacock.
The lawsuit asserts that Yellowstone incorporates specific elements from Salkin’s materials, such as a tribal casino serving as a hub of political and development power, confrontations in the tribal chairman’s office regarding expansion, and the strategic use of trust lands and lease structures. Additionally, she claims that casting choices in Yellowstone mirrored her own recommendations.
“While copyright law does not protect general ideas like a Western or a land dispute, the infringement here involves the copying of Salkin’s unique expressive decisions and their specific arrangement,” the complaint reads. The suit also mentions that an HBO executive who reviewed Sovereign Nation later recognized similarities between it and Yellowstone.
Salkin is seeking damages and profits related to the alleged copyright infringement, as well as injunctive relief to prevent further use of her work. Her attorney, Paul B. Lackey, described the case as a “classic David-versus-Goliath situation,” emphasizing that Salkin invested years in developing her concept, only to see it transformed into a lucrative franchise without compensation.
Representatives for Sheridan, Paramount, Elevate Entertainment, and NBCUniversal have not yet responded to requests for comment.
