Jon Gosselin Files $5 Million Countersuit Against TLC

Jon Gosselin has filed a $5 million lawsuit against TLC, claiming its representatives interfered with potential business opportunities.

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"He went out and tried make a livelihood, and they would send letters, and would call people and say, 'You can't work with him. He has a contract. He's exclusive to us.'" Mark Heller, Gosselin's attorney, told TVGuide.com. "And that has cost him a tremendous loss."

Heller noted that of Gosselin's multiple opportunities, one that was made most public involved Ed Hardy clothing, which could have "reaped millions of dollars."

"Originally, he was wearing [Ed Hardy] shirts, and [TLC] took the position that he couldn't enter in an agreement for a simple item like that, which doesn't hurt their show in any way."

TLC sues Jon Gosselin

"They've treated him like a muzzled dog on a leash," added Heller. "They don't want him to talk, and they don't want him to wander away from TLC. How is a man who has eight kids to earn a living?"

The suit, which is a counterclaim to the one TLC filed against Gosselin for breach of contract, also claims that the Gosselin family is owed $175,000 in payments for episodes that have aired.