Chip Gaines, host of the popular HGTV show, Fixer Upper, fired back on Saturday against two former business partners who slapped him with a million-dollar lawsuit for fraud, claiming that he bought them out while secretly planning a reality show.
Gaines took to Twitter to respond to his former business partners, Richard L. Clark and John L. Lewis, via Twitter, slamming for the former Magnolia Realty co-owners for never once contacting him before filing a lawsuit against him. He stressed that his contact number hadn’t changed in 15 years.
“Fyi: Ive had the same cell # 15 years.. same email for 20 yrs. No one called or emailed? 4 years later ‘friends’ reach out via lawsuit.. humm.”
Fyi: Ive had the same cell # 15 yrs.. same email for 20 yrs. No one called or emailed? 4 years later "friends" reach out via lawsuit.. humm
— Chip Gaines (@chippergaines) April 29, 2017
Clark and Lewis filed the lawsuit against last week, naming Gaines, High Noon Productions, Magnolia Realty, and Scripps Network as defendants. They claim that Gaines convinced them to sell their part of the ownership of Magnolia Realty for $2,500 apiece without telling them he had plans for a national television show. Both plaintiffs stated that they would have never sold their two-thirds ownership, especially for such a low price, had they known Gaines’ plans for a reality show.
Original Story: ‘Fixer Upper’ star Chip Gaines gets slapped with million-dollar lawsuit for fraud
Gaines’ lawyer, Jordan Mayfield, of Waco, is confident that the lawsuit will be thrown out. He told People last week that the two plaintiffs’ claims are “meritless” and that they’re trying to ride on the success of Gaines and his wife, Joanna.
“We are confident that these claims will be found to be meritless, and it is disappointing to see people try to take advantage of the hard work and success of Chip and Joanna Gaines.”
The plaintiff’s lawyer, David Tekell, said that the accusations are true and he intends to prove it by showing a series of “accurate” quotes and text messages.
“It is all completely true and supported by actual facts. There are extensive quotes from texts and emails stated in the lawsuit that are accurate.”
Chip Gaines’ Fixer Upper show premiered on May 23, 2013. The show has become so popular that Joanna Gaines, who appears alongside her husband in the reality show, will be getting a spin-off show, Fixer Upper: Behind the Design, which will showcase how she comes up with designs.
[Feature Photo: AP/Brian Ach/Invision]
