Let me be the first to say that I abhor reality shows. I also must admit that I never watched the reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8” a ridiculous show about a couple of wanna-be celebrities trying to raise their eight children.

In the latest legal spat between TV's Jon and Kate, Kate Gosselin is suing her ex-husband Jon and his business partner. Kate is alleging that Hoffman and Jon illegally got their hands on private information in order to publish a libelous book titled "Kate Gosselin: How She Fooled The World." As reported in blogs.findlaw.com.

Kate claims that Jon had logged into her email account, which is password protected, gone through her cell phone, and even accessed her online banking records -- all without her consent. She also claims that he stole a hard drive that contained confidential information. Good God – I had hoped we would never hear from these two again!

What type of legal retribution could Kate visit on these two alleged data thieves?

Identity Theft Minus 8

Identity theft generally refers to any type of crime where someone wrongfully obtains personal identifying information (PII) of another and then uses it in some way that involves fraud or deception, usually for economic gain.

If the facts alleged are true, then Jon acquired Kate's identifying information by going through her emails, phone, and bank accounts, and he then used it for an unlawful purpose, to publish a defamatory book. These allegations may all add up to a criminal charge for ID theft.

Defamation generally refers to any published, non-privileged statement that harms someone's reputation. It cannot be easy to harm a reputation as sullied as Kate’s.

Jon may have a good defense to these claims if the information in his book is truthful, as truth is typically a perfect defense to defamation actions.

Please let this be the last we hear from these two. Given America’s love affair with hack reality talent like the Gosselins and Honey Boo Boo maybe I am the only one who wants them to go away. What do you think?