Back in 2024, a documentary film came out by the title Dear Kelly, and it was a decent one according to the critics. So far, the film has gotten a good response from the audience as well, like it is sitting with a 7.3 IMDB rating. And for those who know little to nothing about the story, well, it is about a lawyer who lost his home, got pulled into conspiracy theories, and this was the turning point that made him turn to a radical political position in his life. In this film, it is actually Kelly Johnson that the story is about, and he is alleging or claiming that Bill Joiner was the one who was the big reason for his downfall. So? Well, when Bill came to find out about these allegations, he went on to file a lawsuit, which we now know as the Bill Joiner Lawsuit.
What’s the Lawsuit About?
The official lawsuit titled William Joiner v. Channel 5 LLC et al. was filed in late May 2024, in a federal court in California. The court scene is under the supervision of Consuelo B. Marshall, and Karen Stevenson, a magistrate judge, is also appointed to assist in the case.
Joiner is the one who has filed the suit. He has sued Andrew Callaghan, a filmmaker, Channel 5, which is Callaghan’s company, the crew of the film, and also Kelly Johnson. According to his statement, the movie was using his name without permission, and that it was hurting his reputation.
In a legal sense, the suit refers to the issue of “wire interception.” Basically, it is an inquiry into whether the filmmakers violated any laws during the filming or promotion of their documentary. Also, Joiner asked for a jury trial, which, in the event the case gets that far, means ordinary people would determine the verdict.
Where Did It Start? Kelly Johnson’s Story
Understanding the case requires delving into Kelly Johnson’s background. Johnson used to be a bankruptcy lawyer in Laguna Hills, California, married to the mother of three kids. But those days of stability faded in the middle of the 2000s.
Johnson had taken out $100,000 in loans from an outfit connected with Bill Joiner. He later said the papers were unclear, and after he defaulted, Joiner issued a notice forcing the family from their multimillion-dollar home.
After the foreclosure, Johnson’s world came crashing down. He lost his law license, got divorced, and gravitated towards conspiracy theories. And that’s how his beliefs got so strong that he somewhat leaned towards the far-right aisle of the political spectrum.
Then, What Was “Dear Kelly” All About?
Johnson accused Joiner of “stealing” his home, which caught Callaghan’s attention when filmmaker Andrew Callaghan met Johnson at a rally in Huntington Beach in 2021.
Four years at least were spent by Callaghan on this heartbreaking story of Johnson. Dear Kelly, that is the white direct, exposes the political transformation alongside an extent about Johnson from his family and children trying to bring him back from extremism.
The movie also depicts Callaghan trying to contact Joiner for his side of the story. That meeting, however, never took place, and Johnson’s attention to Joiner continued to be the central narrative thread.
Dear Kelly was released in January 2025 and toured all across the U.S. Audiences reacted so strongly: they felt they were emotionally opened and awoke.
Why Is Bill Joiner Suing?
His introduction came when a promo video for Dear Kelly got out on the internet, and what he sees in the video: he feels it is like a supportive prop for Johnson against what Johnson told him was false, like Joiner knows something about that from his own experience.
Hence, in May 2024, before the full release of the film, Joiner lodged a lawsuit. He argued that the film tarnishes his name. On the contrary, Callaghan justifies that it is not a documentary about taking sides but about sharing the pathway to the extreme views of another as a result of personal loss.
