Storage Wars' David Hester Files Lawsuit Claiming Show Is Faked After Being Fired

A&E reality star's lawsuit claims producers routinely plant items, says he was terminated when he complained about it

By Claudia Rosenbaum Dec 11, 2012 10:32 PMTags
Dave Hester Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Is the reality show, Storage Wars not exactly, well, real?

So alleges series star, David Hester, who is suing A&E, accusing the cable channel of staging its program.

Hester is suing for wrongful termination, breach of contract and unfair business practices along with other causes in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

According to the complaint obtained by E! News, Hester claims A&E has committed a fraud on the public by planting valuable items or memorabilia on the show.

Hester cites instances in the "reality show" where an old newspaper announcing the death of Elvis Presley was found and, in another case, a BMW mini car was found buried under a pile of trash.

What's more, Hester claims in the suit that when he complained to producers and told them the "conduct of salting and staging the storage unit was possibly illegal, he was fired from the series." Hester says they then rescinded their offer of retaining him for the upcoming season.

Hester's complaint says that despite Storage Wars billing itself as a non-fiction show displaying a genuine and accurate portrayal of the abandoned storage locker auction process, "nearly every aspect of the series is faked."

Hester, who has retained prominent entertainment lawyer Marty Singer, is suing for damages in excess of $750,000.