Recently, reports surfaced that Phil McGraw’s company, Merit Street Media, not only declared bankruptcy but also initiated a lawsuit against its collaborator, Trinity Broadcasting. In a twist, Trinity Broadcasting has now filed a countersuit against Merit Street Media, alleging that McGraw did not fulfill several key commitments that were integral to their 10-year, $500 million agreement. A major point of contention is McGraw’s failure to produce new episodes of his hit show Dr. Phil, contrary to his promises, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter.

According to Trinity Broadcasting, McGraw misled the network into forming a partnership by claiming he possessed the rights to Dr. Phil and would deliver new episodes exclusively if Trinity collaborated with his production entity Peteski and compensated him $20 million. Otherwise, McGraw purportedly threatened to continue his association with CBS, which was allegedly ready to offer him $75 million a year. After the agreement was sealed, Trinity invested heavily in Merit Street until it became apparent that McGraw was unable to meet the expected viewer ratings, product placements, and advertising revenue, according to THR.

Trinity’s countersuit also accuses McGraw of several other wrongful acts, such as employing numerous former Dr. Phil staffers instead of hiring locally in Texas as he had assured, pushing the partnership to enter profitable agreements with his acquaintances like Steve Harvey, Nancy Grace, and Chris Harrison, and manipulating Trinity into relinquishing its controlling interest in Merit Street while safeguarding his Dr. Phil rights for a new project called Envoy. The lawsuit from Trinity Broadcasting is seeking legal determination on the rights and obligations of both parties under their contract, as well as a decision that McGraw agreed to transfer his library of past Dr. Phil episodes in exchange for a 30 percent stake in Merit Street.

In response, Merit Street Media has sued Trinity for breach of contract, alleging that the network systematically made choices aimed at undermining and dooming the success of a promising new network. McGraw’s company has accused its distribution partner of failing to make payments and providing subpar production services, attributing its downfall to Trinity’s actions.