Hard Lens Media Fundraiser Raises Legal Questions: How GoFundMe Enables Libel and Fraud (UPDATED)
The Case of a Defamatory Fundraiser and a Pattern of GoFundMe Neglect
(Editor’s Note: Since the original publication of this article, Hard Lens Media edited its original defamatory July 2, 2025 GoFundMe narrative removing Chicago Corner owner names as well as allegations that included: “stalking… attempts to have us arrested, mind games… including sexual harassment of women”, “posts threatening imagery, and has repeatedly called for the deaths of multiple people while repeatedly sexually harassing nearly every woman they come in contact with, usually calling them c****”, “They’ve also targeted others, from harassing a woman on X for stock advice to extorting companies like Etsy, FedEx, an Australian media company, and Kickstarter with similar schemes, revealing a pattern of suing, harassing, and intimidating until their targets break” and “killing other members of (Kit’s) family from the stress”. Other defamatory allegations on the fundraiser remain. The Chicago Sentinels ask: If Hard Lens Media removed these statements now, why were they ever posted to fundraise for their legal defense in the first place?)
July 2, 2025 HLM Fundraiser Page Link
July 10, 2025 HLM Revised Fundraiser Page Link
GoFundMe has long branded itself as a platform rooted in trust — a place where communities come together to help one another in times of hardship. But a troubling fundraiser hosted on its site suggests that trust is misplaced when the company refuses to enforce its own rules, even when presented with compelling evidence of clear violations.
The campaign in question, “Help Defend Free Speech and Fair Use From A Movie Director”, was launched by Hard Lens Media (HLM), a Chicago-based independent media outlet known for its progressive, pro-labor stance. Ostensibly, the fundraiser seeks support for two of HLM’s principals, Kit Cabello and Daniel Luepker, in defending themselves against lawsuits brought by three former collaborators: Jerry Vasilatos, Edward Heller, and Kira Macoun of Chicago Corner LLC.
But the language of the campaign goes far beyond soliciting help with legal fees. Instead, it levels a series of grave accusations — framed as “opinions” — against Vasilatos, Heller, and Macoun. Among the claims: that they engaged in stalking, harassment, doxing, sexual misconduct, mocking a family member’s death, filing frivolous lawsuits to bankrupt HLM, and even contributing to the deaths of family members through stress:
These statements are not only unsupported but directly contradicted by public court filings. The lawsuits — one for copyright infringement, another for defamation — remain active and have survived every legal challenge to date. No court has dismissed the cases or sanctioned the plaintiffs. No harassment or stalking has occurred. The defamatory statements in the GoFundMe campaign mirror those in a December 2023 HLM broadcast, which is itself the basis of the defamation lawsuit in Cook County.
Since April 2025, multiple detailed complaints have been reported to GoFundMe, each laying out the specific falsehoods in the campaign, attaching public court records and transcripts, and citing GoFundMe’s own Terms of Service, which explicitly forbid “fraudulent, misleading, false, or deceptive statements” and “defamatory, harassing” content.
GoFundMe’s response? The fundraiser remains live today, misleading donors and inflicting reputational harm on its targets.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time GoFundMe has looked the other way.
In 2025, Bay Area radio host Ronn Owens was accused of claiming to raise medical funds while diverting donations to legal bills; GoFundMe has failed to act after intense media scrutiny. In 2018, a high-profile YouTuber raised nearly $100,000 through a campaign critics said was built on unverified allegations — with no meaningful intervention from the company until the scam was exposed and GoFundMe subsequently refunded more than $400,000 back to 14,000 donors.
These examples reveal a disturbing pattern: GoFundMe is quick to collect its commission on every donation, but slow — or unwilling — to enforce the very rules that supposedly protect victims from being defamed and donors from being misled. GoFundMe explicitly prohibits fundraisers from using misleading statements or false information about the beneficiary or the purpose of the fundraiser. This includes situations where false statements are made with the intent to harm someone's reputation, which could be considered defamation.
The Hard Lens Media fundraiser is not just a violation of those rules; it’s a warning. If platforms like GoFundMe allow campaigns to weaponize misinformation and defamation under the guise of fundraising, they become complicit in that harm.
Allowing campaigns like HLM’s to stand undermines the credibility of every honest fundraiser on the platform. Worse, it sends a message to bad actors that platforms can be weaponized to punish whistleblowers, harass critics, and mislead donors — all with impunity.
By ignoring repeated, well-documented complaints about HLM’s campaign, GoFundMe has failed not just the plaintiffs — but its own users and its own principles.
Crowdfunding can be a force for good — but only if the platforms uphold integrity. GoFundMe needs to act, not just when the media shines a spotlight, but when credible evidence is placed squarely in its hands.
Until then, its silence speaks volumes.
(Public Court Documents regarding the disputes between Chicago Corner, LLC and Hard Lens Media, Inc. as well as supporting documents can be viewed online at at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JzLnAksc9pXoTU5c1QqwO9vc_5gmbopS)