Newsboys, Wes Campbell File Suit Alleging Plot to Push Them Out of Christian Music Industry

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The Christian band Newsboys and their owner, Wes Campbell, announced Tuesday that they have filed a federal lawsuit alleging a coordinated effort to push them out of the contemporary Christian music touring industry.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the complaint spans nearly 200 pages and names a wide range of defendants, including Christian concert promoter LiveCo/TPR, nonprofit World Vision, several prominent CCM artists such as MercyMe, and The Roys Report, a news site that ran several stories alleging misconduct tied to a 2014 incident.

“In this case, Wes Campbell, and the four musicians comprising the Christian musical artists known as the ‘Newsboys,’ their families, and the ministries they have dedicated their lives to build, have been destroyed by the actions of the Defendants, including their publication of defamatory articles fueled by competitors with anticompetitive motives,” the lawsuit says.

“These actions were not isolated, but part of a coordinated scheme involving anticompetitive misconduct, misappropriation of confidential information, contractual breaches, and the dissemination of statements known to be false. And there appears to be no end in sight. The Plaintiffs must thus turn to the courts to set forth the truth in a fair and impartial forum as opposed to continually battling untrue rumors circulated with impunity by tabloids and competitors.”

The public controversy over the group began in June 2025, when The Roys Report ran what was the first of a series of articles about the band, which the lawsuit labels “false and defamatory.” The story led to the cancellation of a tour. The lawsuit alleges the reporting omitted key details and instead advanced a false narrative that damaged the band’s reputation within the Christian community.

Specifically, the lawsuit says the encounter between lighting technician Matt Brewer and a woman named “Nicole” – who worked with Nick Hall’s Pulse Evangelism in 2014 – was consensual and only later recast as sexual assault in an effort to harm the band. The lawsuit states: “There was no cover-up as there was nothing to cover up.”

Beyond the defamation claims, the lawsuit alleges a broader effort to reshape the Christian concert industry. It claims LiveCo/TPR – described as a “monopoly” formed from multiple major promoters – used its market influence to pressure artists and partners to sever ties with Campbell-affiliated organizations. The complaint also alleges that World Vision entered into arrangements that gave it exclusive or near-exclusive fundraising access at concerts, limiting opportunities for other nonprofit partners, including one backed by Campbell.

MercyMe and other artists are “alleged to have breached contracts with Campbell-affiliated companies,” according to a news release about the suit.

The suit alleges defamation and antitrust violations.

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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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