Fired Storage Wars star Dave Hester had his lawsuit claiming wrongful termination approved by a Los Angeles judge, The Hollywood Reporter  has learned.

Dave Hester

Hester’s original lawsuit claimed A&E, who produces Storage Wars, was rigging the show by lacing the units with better items and sometimes financing weaker cast member to buy higher priced units. That lawsuit was rejected and retooled to focus on the wrongful termination, claiming Hester was fired after complaining about the rigging to producers.

The judge rejected A&E’s claim that Hester’s lawsuit interfered with their creative decisions about who should appear on the Storage Wars program. The judge stated “Plaintiff’s contract expressly states that Defendants had no obligation to use Plaintiff on the program during the term of their agreement. Plaintiff is suing to recover money, and not to inject himself into the program.”

The claim will now be heard in a court hearing to determine if the lawsuit will go to trial.