(TMZ) Rick, Corey, the Old Man and Chumlee ... are all getting sued by their ex-manager, who claims he discovered the "Pawn Stars" and made them famous ... only to get stabbed in the back. The man behind the lawsuit is Wayne Jefferies -- who claims he found the guys from Gold & Silver Pawn back in 2007 and got them a reality TV show deal with A&E and the History Channel ... after Rick had struck out in the past.
Jefferies claims things were going great for years -- with the show killing it in the ratings and the guys all cutting various endorsement deals ... including credit cards, slot machines, books and even an energy drink.
But according to the suit, things fell apart earlier this year .. when network honchos became upset over a story Jefferies claims he leaked to TMZ. The story detailed how the "Pawn Stars" cast was blindsided when they learned A&E had commissioned a "Cajun Pawn Stars" spinoff.
In his suit, Jefferies claims network execs pressured the "Pawn Stars" cast to cut ties with Jefferies ... which they did.
Jefferies is now suing the "Pawn Stars" guys for breach of contract ... and he's also suing A&E, the History Channel and various execs for interfering with his management deals.
Jefferies is asking for unspecified damages. Calls to the Pawn Stars and the networks have not been returned. more on this story
