(RNS) — The founder of one of the most popular Christian music groups in recent decades has sued key players in the Christian concert business, along with a pair of journalists and one of the nation’s largest charities, claiming they worked together to ruin his company.

In a complaint filed April 17 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Wes Campbell, co-founder of Newsboys and owner of a Christian concert promotion company called Thriving Children Advocates, said that his company and the band’s ministry “have been destroyed by the actions of the Defendants, including their publication of defamatory articles fueled by competitors with anticompetitive motives.”

“The lawsuit alleges an orchestrated campaign to drive Campbell and Newsboys out of the Christian concert market,” reads a website promoting the lawsuit.

Among those named in the complaint are journalists Julie Roys and Jessica Morris, Christian music group MercyMe, the charity World Vision and several concert promotion companies owned by Waterland Private Equity Investments, a firm in the Netherlands.

Journalist Julie Roys. (Courtesy photo)

At issue are a pair of articles, published by The Roys Report, a Christian investigative media company founded by Roys, about alleged sexual misconduct by Michael Tait, the former lead singer of the Newsboys. Those stories alleged that Tait watched in a hotel room while a member of the band’s crew sexually assaulted another band employee and that the band’s manager covered it up.

The complaint alleges that the encounter described in the stories was consensual and that the alleged victim went on to work for a rival promoter, who created a false narrative to harm the Newsboys.

“The question of why they reported this story when they knew it was false, is in part what this suit will reveal,” the complaint alleges.

Tait, who left Newsboys in 2025, has confessed to living a double life involving drug abuse and unwanted sexual advances toward men. Campbell and Newboys have denied knowing about his misconduct, saying Tait deceived them. Newsboys canceled a planned tour in Canada after news of Tait’s misconduct broke and has not performed since. 

The complaint also reveals details of the inner workings of the Christian concert business.

Lawyers for Campbell allege that companies owned by Waterland control about 80% of contemporary Christian music concerts in the country. The musicians who play those concerts often promote charities such as World Vision, whose donors sponsor children in need.

It’s a model that Campbell claims his company perfected.

“TCA was the first organization of its kind in the CCM Touring Market serving as a professional fundraising company connecting CCM artists and live events with nonprofit sponsorship opportunities,” according to the complaint. 

The complaint alleges that charities such as World Vision pay musicians between $200 and $500 for each new sponsor who signs up at a concert. Campbell’s lawyers say that Waterland’s companies wanted those fees for their company, not the artists. The alleged assault victim worked for a company owned by Waterland, according to the complaint. 

Campbell’s attorneys also allege that Waterland had offered to buy Campbell’s company for $50 million, then used confidential information obtained in that process to undermine his company. The complaint also alleges that MercyMe, a popular Christian group, broke its contract with TCA and began working for a rival.

The lawsuit was filed days after The Roys Report received a major award from the Religion News Association for its reporting on Tait.

In an email, Roys, who also serves as her news organization’s editor-in-chief, told Religion News Service that any allegation of a concerted effort against Newsboys and Campbell “was not grounded in fact.”

“Our coverage was carefully reported, based on multiple independent sources and corroborated before publication,” Roys said. “We stand by our articles and will defend against these baseless claims through the proper legal channels.”

LiveCo, one of the companies owned by Waterland, said it was aware of the complaint. 

“The company completely disagrees with the characterization of our practices presented in this filing,” a spokesperson for LiveCo said in an email. “We didn’t engage in any wrongful conduct. For years, LiveCo has operated with integrity in faith-based programming. We are proud of our reputation as a leader in this industry and remain committed to serving our artists, partners, and fans with excellence. We look forward to presenting a vigorous defense to these allegations and providing the court with the accurate and honorable facts of our business history. Our focus remains on our mission, and we are confident that the truth of our operations will be vindicated through the legal process.”

A spokesperson for World Vision said in a statement, “We are aware of the lawsuit, although we have not been served. We are reviewing the filing and will respond in court, which is the appropriate forum to address the matter. Out of respect for that process and the parties involved, we won’t comment further at this time.”

Lawyers for Campbell did not respond to a request for comment.

This story has been updated with LiveCo and World Vision’s comments.