Dr. Phil’s messy legal battle with Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) over his collapsed Merit Street Media (MSM) project has now centered on questions of “good faith,” according to a federal judge overseeing the case. At a Texas bankruptcy hearing, Phil McGraw’s lawyer Charles Babcock argued that Dr. Phil never wanted MSM to end up in Chapter 11, calling that outcome “toxic” and illogical. He said McGraw fought to keep his voice on MSM but was forced to create a new platform, Envoy, after TBN allegedly refused to honor its distribution commitments. Babcock accused TBN of trying to silence Dr. Phil’s voice. The fight stems from a $500 million distribution deal between MSM and TBN that soured quickly after its 2023 announcement. Dr. Phil sued TBN for breach of contract in July, while TBN countersued in August. Both sides accuse each other of brinkmanship, bad faith, and stalling tactics, with disputes over texts, emails, and depositions spilling into the hearing. TBN’s attorney Mark Moore pushed back, telling the judge that Peteski Productions (Dr. Phil’s company) can’t claim McGraw was both directing and detached from MSM’s decisions. He accused Dr. Phil’s team of “grandstanding” and wasting time. The bankruptcy court will continue weighing whether MSM’s Chapter 11 and Dr. Phil’s lawsuit move forward—or get tossed out as TBN requests.