Inside the ‘7 Little Johnstons’ Lawsuit Between Discovery and Lmno

The companies behind the hit TLC series 7 Little Johnstons have faced more than a little bit of legal trouble.

In June 2016, LMNO Productions sued Discovery over more than $2 million worth of footage shot for the reality show. 7 Little Johnstons follows a family of seven, two parents and five children, all born with a type of dwarfism called achondroplasia. The series premiered in January 2015 and is still in production as of January 2024.

Discovery and LMNO Productions Sue Each Other Over Rights to Footage

On June 17, 2016, Discovery sent “notices of termination” to LMNO for six of their series, including 7 Little Johnstons and The Little Couple, according to court documents reviewed by In Touch.

A few days later, on June 22, 2016, LMNO responded by accusing Discovery of several offenses, including copyright infringement, unfair competition, and trademark infringement, and breach of contract. LMNO’s complaint alleged that Discovery's move was a “smokescreen” so that they could “steal The Little Couple and produce the show behind LMNO’s back.”

LMNO’s complaint further claimed that in late 2015, the California-based corporation “learned that it was a victim of a crime,” according to court documents. The documents alleged that Discovery, which LMNO referred to as a “long time business partner,” took advantage of a fraudulent accountant that was working for the company at the time to “enrich itself at LMNO’s expense.”

The complaint alleged that Discovery had breached their contract, and owed LMNO a flat sum of ​$2,640,000, the agreed cost of production and distribution rights for season 2 of 7 Little Johnstons that had already begun filming. The document noted that at that time, Discovery had only paid LMNO $2,007,952.90 of the total sum, despite the fact that LMNO had already paid “much of the cost of the production” to relevant parties.

In response to LMNO’s lawsuit, Discovery countersued the company for fraud.

Discovery Asks Federal Judge to Make LMNO Turn Over Season 2 Footage

In September 2016, Discovery filed a writ of possession regarding footage shot for season 2 of 7 Little Johnstons, asking a federal judge to force LMNO to turn over the tapes. The filing claimed LMNO was holding footage “ransom,” despite Discovery paying more than $2 million for its production. Discovery claimed that it was unable to complete filming for season 2 of the reality show without the already-shot footage.

LMNO responded to the filing in a statement, claiming Discovery “failed to sign” a contract for season 2 of the show and “failed and refused to pay the agreed-upon price for these episodes.”