The Chosen lawsuit has placed 5&2 Studios under scrutiny as the hit biblical drama moves toward its final seasons. Dallas Jenkins, creator of “The Chosen,” rejected claims that company leaders improperly cashed out minority shareholders. He called the allegations “categorically false” and said the studio complied with legal and financial requirements.
Christopher Garabedian, chief executive of life sciences accelerator Xontogeny, filed the class-action case in the Delaware Court of Chancery. He invested $300,000 in 2019 in a predecessor to 5&2 Studios. His complaint says company leaders forced out more than 16,000 minority shareholders.
Crowdfunding success raises stakes
“The Chosen” follows the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and has largely relied on crowdfunding. Fans have donated more than $44 million for the seventh and final season, according to Come and See. The series has also reached hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide and now appears in 125 languages.
That broad support has turned the biblical drama into a global phenomenon. But the shareholder dispute now tests how the company handled early backers. Garabedian says investors supported the project because they believed in its evangelical mission and expected long-term ownership.
Investor says shareholders lost control
The complaint says 5&2 Studios paid minority shareholders $3.75 per share. Garabedian held 150,000 minority shares and says he objected to the transaction. Still, he received about $560,250 from his original $300,000 investment.
The lawsuit argues that the transaction left insiders in full control. It also says shareholders lost their place as “The Chosen” approached its most anticipated final chapters. Jenkins, however, said the full record addresses every concern.
Supporters and critics await court review
Supporters of Jenkins and 5&2 Studios point to the show’s transparency, fan-driven funding and global ministry impact. They view the dispute as a legal challenge that could confirm the studio acted properly.
Detractors raise concerns about investor rights, shareholder control, and whether early backers received fair treatment. So the court’s review now carries financial and reputational stakes because it may determine how the studio’s actions are judged.
Dallas Jenkins responds to lawsuit alleging ‘The Chosen’ studio forced out minority investors
The Chosen press photos (press.thechosen.tv), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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