TLC Slams Jon Gosselin With Lawsuit
Another punch in the gut for the Gosselins: TLC's suing Jon.
Oct. 16, 2009— -- Just when it seemed things couldn't get worse for the Gosselins, the family patriarch got punched in the gut by the network that once loved them: TLC.
TLC is suing Jon Gosselin for breaching his contract with "Jon & Kate Plus 8." The lawsuit, filed today in Maryland, alleges that Gosselin hasn't met the obligations of his contract as an exclusive employee, has appeared on other programs for profit and made unauthorized disclosures about the show.
"The network has been trying privately and patiently for months to get Jon to honor the contract he signed and to comply with his obligations relating to public appearances and statements," TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said in a statement to ABCNews.com. "Those efforts have been unsuccessful. The Washington, D.C., law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP has been retained to represent the network in the litigation."
Meanwhile, Kate Gosselin said in a statement Thursday that she's "disturbed" by allegations from the family's former babysitter that her estranged husband hacked into her e-mails, phone records and online bank accounts.
"Ms. Gosselin is carefully considering all of her legal options regarding this matter, and she will pursue them if and when the time is right," said a statement from Gosselin's attorneys at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, her Philadelphia law firm.
The lawsuit and hacking allegations follow the news that the Gosselins may soon be off TV for good.
"'Jon & Kate Plus 8' will be finished in mid to late November," TLC's Goldberg told ABCNews.com Thursday, declining to comment further.
According to Radar Online, TLC will craft a few more episodes of the show with unused footage: Jon Gosselin recently forbade the network from filming any new video of his eight kids.
"Basically we've put a halt on the show," Jon Gosselin's manager Mike Heller told People magazine earlier this month. "Jon has been talking to TLC for a long time to cut back on the production and still honor his contract -- because it's been getting in the way of his family, his children are complaining."
If Jon Gosselin changes his mind, his kids and ex-wife could be featured in "Kate Plus 8," TLC's planned spinoff of the soon-to-end series. If not, it could be a long time before the Gosselins come back to TV.
The development comes as Jon and Kate Gosselin's divorce grows ever more nasty. Jon was ordered to reimburse the crumbling couple's joint bank account to the tune of nearly $200,000 eariler this week.
The Gosselin's respective lawyers met with a court-appointed arbitrator Tuesday to iron out the couple's economic issues -- namely that Kate Gosselin, who wants child and spousal support, has accused her ex of taking $230,000 from their joint bank account. Talking to "The Insider" last week, Jon Gosselin countered that he only took $22,000, which he said shouldn't matter to the mother of his kids because she has money hidden away.
But according to TMZ.com, today, Jon Gosselin was ordered to return $180,000 of the funds he withdrew from the account. If he doesn't repay the money by Oct. 26, he'll have to appear before the judge for a contempt proceeding.
"The remaining sum of $55,000, which Ms. Gosselin used for household bills and expenses relating to the children, will be subject to further determination by the arbitrator at a later date," Kate Gosselin's lawyer, Mark Momjian, said.
