Graveyard Carz Lawsuit: Crew Disputes, Customer Claims, Stolen ‘Cuda

There is no major Graveyard Carz lawsuit on the public record. Searches for one usually surface a mix of private employment disagreements, customer complaints about restoration quality, and cast-departure drama, most of which were handled quietly or never reached a courtroom. As of mid-2026, no confirmed active major litigation against the show or its owner, Mark Worman, has been reported.¹

Employment and Business Disputes with Former Crew

The legal questions most often tied to the show involve former cast and crew. Reported claims include wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, breach of agreement, and fights over ownership of the brand, merchandise royalties, and revenue splits between the television production and the physical shop.¹ Oregon law governs, including state wage and hour protections.

None of these produced a major public case. Many were reportedly settled privately, often under nondisclosure agreements that keep specifics out of the record.¹ One recurring allegation is that some workers may have been misclassified as independent contractors rather than employees, which, if true, would give them grounds for claims under Oregon labor law. No class action or consolidated case has been filed.

Cast Departures That Never Produced a Lawsuit

Much of the public interest in a Graveyard Carz lawsuit traces to the messy exits of several original cast members around 2014. Worman has acknowledged the on-camera friction was real, not scripted.

Daren Kirkpatrick left in 2014 after seasons of open conflict with other cast members, with public speculation that Worman fired him. Worman described Kirkpatrick and fellow departing cast member Josh Rose as “complete lunatics” and called the on-camera arguing “very real bickering and daily negativity.”² No public lawsuit between Kirkpatrick and the show has been documented.

Josh Rose also left in 2014. He had been married to Worman’s daughter, Allysa Rose, and their divorce coincided with his exit. One account attributed his departure to low pay.³ The divorce was described as quiet, and the two continue to co-parent their daughter.² No legal dispute over business assets or employment surfaced from the split.

Other exits followed a similar pattern of personal frustration without litigation. Holly Chedester reportedly quit after Season 3 due to constant arguments with Kirkpatrick, and David “Dave” Rea left in 2018 after deciding the reality TV environment was not a good professional fit.²

Customer Complaints About Restoration Work

The shop operates under the name Welby’s Car Care, a collision repair business that shifted to full-time Mopar restoration after the show took off.⁴ It has drawn pointed criticism from Mopar enthusiasts about the quality of its work.

The most detailed public complaint came from Rex M. Wilson II, who documented problems with collision repairs on his 1970 Dodge Charger in a 2014 forum post and a Facebook group. Wilson alleged the $30,000 insurance-funded job came back with paint runs, overspray on interior components, pinholes in body filler, seat belts installed in the wrong seats, non-functional gauges and headlight motors, and missing or swapped parts, including a factory-replica battery replaced with what he called the “cheapest looking” alternative.⁵

Forum members were split. Some pointed to photographic evidence of errors like upside-down marker lights. Others argued Wilson expected a full restoration at collision-repair pricing, noting Worman maintained he was only obligated to return the car to its pre-accident condition. Worman reportedly offered Wilson $10,000 in cash to resolve the matter.⁵ There is no indication the dispute became a formal lawsuit.

Other community complaints have alleged that the shop dropped a client’s Daytona while moving it through a doorway and tried to conceal the damage, and that the shop subcontracts certain tasks, such as dash work, that Worman has publicly claimed are done in-house.⁶

In a 2019–2020 episode, Worman acknowledged on camera that “sub-par employees” had botched the restoration of a blue Road Runner badly enough that the car had to be torn apart and restarted. Producer D.L. Watson framed the moment as transparency about a common business reality rather than concealment.⁷

The 2017 Stolen 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda

One matter that did involve the authorities was the theft of a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda from the Graveyard Carz shop on July 26, 2017. The car was a SEMA show build with a 6.4L SRT HEMI engine and a TREMEC Magnum six-speed transmission, restored for the 2016 SEMA Show. The team offered a $5,000 reward. Worman stated publicly that he obtained a court order to verify the legitimacy of the theft report, pushing back on suggestions it was a publicity stunt, and said the incident would not be featured on the show.8 Whether the car was recovered or anyone charged is not reflected in available reporting.

Where the Show Stands Now

Graveyard Carz remains in production. Worman and The Division Productions, the Springfield, Oregon company that produces the series, have released Season 20.⁹ The show is sold to MotorTrend as a pre-sale acquisition, which leaves Worman with creative control and ownership of the intellectual property.⁴ No litigation between the production and MotorTrend has been reported.

The show’s future has been described as uncertain given the loss of core cast members, declining ratings, and inconsistent production schedules, though the worst of the visible conflict with former employees and cast appears to be behind it as of 2026.¹

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