14 DAY TRIAL // Jon Gosselin, the former star of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” the reality show produced and aired by TLC that told the story of a regular couple and their life as parents of eight, has just received a first, albeit temporarily, blow in the lawsuit with the network. Accused of breach of contract, Gosselin is momentarily barred from doing any media interviews without TLC’s permission, whether he gets paid for them or not, TMZ informs.
As we also reported on previous occasions, Gosselin was taken to court by TLC after his allegations of child exploitation blocked production on the show, which was supposed to go on without him in the aftermath of the couple’s separation. After production was stopped, TLC alleged breach of exclusive contract on Gosselin’s part, and consequently took him to court for it. The latest hearing in the trial has TLC as the winner in the dispute.
“A Maryland judge decided today that TLC’s breach of contract case against Jon was strong enough to put a preliminary injunction in place – which forces Jon to abide by TLC’s rules... or it’s his [bum]. That means no more interviews or appearances without TLC’s permission. TLC honcho Edward Sabin testified against Jon today, saying his recent actions – like hosting a pool party in Vegas, taking his girlfriend to France and talking to paps outside of his home – have been ‘embarrassing’,” TMZ says.
“The Court has validated our view that Mr. Gosselin has a valid, binding contract and that he has breached it repeatedly... we look forward to the next phase of the litigation, which is to pursue our claim for damages resulting from Mr. Gosselin’s numerous breaches,” a rep for TLC also says for the same media outlet, thus confirming the report. Earlier reports had it that the network would seek to get a part of the profits Gosselin made from other media outlets while still bound to it – and this statement now confirms it.
Jon Gosselin has not commented in any way the most recent defeat – judging by the temporary gag order, neither is he expected to. The only way still open to him to take a public stand is through his lawyer, who, just the other day, was trying to redeem his client’s reputation by belittling those who testified against him: namely, Michael Lohan and Gosselin’s former girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, before that.