Andrew Callaghan’s Channel 5 could go dark indefinitely after being hit with a second lawsuit from a California lender that sued him two years ago.<\/p>\n
On Friday (July 10), in a YouTube<\/a> video titled “We’re Being Sued,” Callaghan revealed that William Joiner had served Channel 5 with a new complaint the previous day (July 9). Filed in a California state court, the filing alleges defamation, stalking, false light and trespassing<\/a>.<\/p>\n “After speaking with a couple of different attorneys, it doesn’t seem like the second round is going to be any cheaper than the first. I can’t afford it. This is not a drill. We cannot afford to keep operations running here at Channel 5 unless we can immediately fundraise the legal fees,” Callaghan said in the video.<\/p>\n To cover those costs, Callaghan launched a GoFundMe campaign<\/a> with a goal of $800,000. “If we can’t reach our goal, we’re going to have to put everything on ice until this new lawsuit wraps up,” he explained.<\/p>\n Without successful fundraising, Channel 5 would close its Mexico City newsroom, lay off its 10 full-time staff members, and go on indefinite hiatus, sustained only by passive Patreon income. <\/p>\n The one alternative that Callaghan floated \u2014 selling a stake to a corporate investor \u2014 he dismissed as incompatible with the outlet’s independent mission. Channel 5 currently funds itself through Patreon subscriptions, merchandise, and advertising.<\/p>\n The new suit is connected to Dear Kelly, a Channel 5 documentary released in January 2025, that follows Kelly Johnson, a far-right conspiracy theorist and participant in the January 6 Capitol attack<\/a>, also known as Kelly J. Patriot. In the film, Johnson alleges that Joiner used falsified legal documents to seize his multi-million dollar home by triggering a fraudulent notice of default on a $100,000 loan during the Great Recession.<\/p>\n Joiner’s first move against Channel 5 came in May 2024, when he filed a federal complaint \u2014 case 8:24-cv-01160 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California \u2014 alleging federal wiretapping violations, privacy violations, and additional state-law claims against Callaghan, co-directors Evan Gilbert-Katz and Nicolas Mosher, and Kelly Johnson, among others. <\/p>\n Callaghan denied ever wiretapping Joiner, and forensic investigators who examined Channel 5’s servers found no evidence supporting the wiretapping claim. That case ended May 19 when both parties entered a joint stipulation of dismissal without prejudice<\/a>, with each side covering its own legal costs and neither naming the prevailing party.<\/p>\n Callaghan pledged to provide regular updates on the new lawsuit and to document how GoFundMe contributions are spent. <\/p>\n