Surprise, Surprise, John Gosselin Being Sued by TLC

Proving once again that the mess that is the Gosselins will never go away and never leave the media spotlight, TLC is suing former "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" reality television actor Jon Gosselin for breach of contract. The lawsuit was filed last Friday in Maryland, where the company is based. Said TLC in a statement, "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. Those efforts have been unsuccessful."

According to the lawsuit, Jon Gosselin was under a contractual obligation not to speak about the show without the express permission of the network. TLC claims that he violated that clause in his contract by making "false and disparaging statements about TLC and Mrs. Gosselin." Among the things that Gosselin may have said that triggered the network response was that he despised his estranged wife and that TLC paid he and his family $22,500 for each episode of the show.

In response, Gosselin’s attorney Mark Jay Heller noted in a statement that his client will "vigorously defend against this baseless action." Heller also noted that TLC "exploited, manipulated and abused the Gosselins’ vulnerability and financial hardship." The show, which began in 2007, quickly became one of the most popular shows on the network. Plans by the network to re-launch the show without Jon, calling the new version "Kate Plus Eight" have been put on hold pending the outcome of the litigation.