Ashton Kutcher Sues The DMV For More Than $1 Million

Ashton Kutcher’s production company is suing the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for $1.44 million on breach of contract claims.

The actor’s television company, Katalyst Media and Soda and Pop Inc., are suing the DMV because the governmental agency allegedly backed out of a binding reality show contract. Negotiations, agreements and a public statement by the agency more than a year ago indicate all parties were on the same page about the project, according to the LA Times.

The Katalyst lawsuit was filed by renowned Hollywood attorney Marty Singer earlier this week. Court document excerpts republished in the Huffington Post note that Kutcher’s television production company maintains the California DMV agreed to allow Katalyst to “capture the variously humorous, dramatic, emotional, humanizing, moving and entertaining” situations which occur at the motor vehicles office on a daily basis.

In June 2012 the DMV Director Mike Mirando agreed to the reality show taping in writing. In 2011 Kutcher and his business partner Jason Goldberg “executed a formal written agreement” with the agency for filming the initial four episodes during the summer and fall months. Lawsuit documents also note that the company could exercise an option to film six more episodes at California DMV offices. Mirando has declined to comment on the pending Kutcher lawsuit.

Six weeks after signing the reality show agreement with Kutcher’s television production company the DMV “abruptly and without justification” changed their mind about allowing filming, the LA Times reports. Katalyst co-founder Jason Goldberg received a five-sentence letter from Mirando simply stating the California DMV “no longer felt it was in their best interests to more forward.”