Trinity Broadcasting Sues Dr. Phil for $500M Fraud Amid Bankruptcy

Dr. Phil McGraw's media company, Merit Street Media, is facing a $500 million fraud and breach of contract lawsuit filed by its former distribution partner, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), alleging McGraw failed to deliver any promised new episodes under a 10-year deal. TBN claims McGraw misled them by guaranteeing significant production cost cuts, ownership of show rights, and new 90-minute episodes, but instead failed to produce content while incurring substantial costs. The legal battle has intensified amid Merit Street's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, with mutual accusations of bad faith and discovery non-compliance complicating the case. McGraw's legal team tried to withdraw from the case, and a judge denied an emergency motion to dismiss the bankruptcy petition, scheduling further hearings. Trinity Broadcasting also accuses McGraw of fabricating financial and viewership data to secure the deal and asserts a long-running fraudulent scheme to enrich McGraw and his affiliates. Meanwhile, Merit Street alleges TBN breached their joint venture by failing to secure national distribution and engaging in self-dealing, highlighting the contentious and multifaceted nature of the dispute.