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.
On Friday (July 10), in a YouTube 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.
"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.
To cover those costs, Callaghan launched a GoFundMe campaign 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.
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.
The one alternative that Callaghan floated — selling a stake to a corporate investor — he dismissed as incompatible with the outlet's independent mission. Channel 5 currently funds itself through Patreon subscriptions, merchandise, and advertising.
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, 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.
Joiner's first move against Channel 5 came in May 2024, when he filed a federal complaint — case 8:24-cv-01160 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California — 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.
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, with each side covering its own legal costs and neither naming the prevailing party.
Callaghan pledged to provide regular updates on the new lawsuit and to document how GoFundMe contributions are spent.
The fundraiser landed as Channel 5 was already pushing forward on expansion. The outlet recently reacquired the "All Gas No Brakes" brand and is building a new independent documentary platform, C5.now.
