EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: TLC Broke The Law Jon Gosselin Charges In New Court Papers
Nov. 12 2009, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Jon Gosselin is fighting back and his lawyers are accusing TLC of violating child labor laws.
In explosive new court papers, obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com, Jon’s lawyers cast him as “David versus Goliath” in their answer to TLC’s request for a preliminary injunction against the Reality TV dad.
Only RadarOnline.com has the latest information and paperwork outlining Team Jon’s battle plan against TLC – and it’s clear that this is going to be a heated battle.
Jon’s lawyers charge TLC with violating Pennsylvania child labor laws by failing to obtain work permits for the kids and also says the network is denying Jon the right to earn a living as an ‘on-camera personality’ which is now what Mr. Gosselin does for a living.”
The court papers contend that Jon’s contract is overly restrictive and “against Public Policy and therefore, unenforceable and null and void.” His lawyers say that neither Jon nor Kate (nor the kids) were represented by a lawyer or manager when they negotiated their first contract in 2005 with the network.
The papers reveal they were paid a total of $2,000 per episode at that time.
Arguing that the contract Jon signed with TLC is so one-sided in favor of the network, Jon’s lawyers hammer away at its restrictions and terms as unenforceable.
And in addition to legal arguments, there’s plenty of soaring (and sometimes bizarre) rhetoric.
But perhaps the most inflammatory charge from Team Jon is that the network violated Pennsylvania child labor laws by not obtaining the proper permits. The papers reveal that the state is still investigating the matter.
Jon’s lawyers write, “the purported contract dated April 29, 2008 violates Child Labor Laws in the State of Pennsylvania.” But later they admit the contract required Jon and Kate to obtain the necessary permits. Still, they argue, this was merely an attempt by the network to circumvent the laws and that Jon and Kate had no idea how to obtain the permits necessary.
The papers state: “Plaintiff included terms and provisions in the Contract that were designed to take advantage of Mr. Gosselin’s inexperience and lack of sophistication, while attempting to protect the Plaintiff from liability and obligation. For example, the Plaintiff mandated that Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin obtain all Permits (work permits for the children, location permits, etc.) for the Plaintiff’s television production. Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin were not paid to obtain permits and could not have known what permits, if any, were needed.”
His lawyers also argue that if the contract is enforced, “Mr. Gosselin will be unable to earn a living as a television personality, and therefore be precluded from supporting his eight children.”
And Mark Heller and Jon’s new Maryland lawyer Christopher Hostage paint TLC as heartless, even referencing one clip where Kate denies water to the children as they are getting ready to tape a show.
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They also say TLC wouldn’t let Jon take pictures at home, “…thereby Mr. Gosselin could not photograph or record his own family moments and hallmark events in his family’s life.”
But Jon’s reps saved the strangest and most vicious rhetoric for the end, where they wrote about TLC, “…the Plaintiff’s hands are so sullied, polluted and infected with wrongdoing, deception, heavy handedness, unconscionability and disregard for the Public’s Interest, that the only resolve that justice should mandate is that Plaintiff’s infected hands be amputated.”
