'Fixer Upper' Host Chip Gaines Responds to $1M Lawsuit
Chip Gaines of "Fixer Upper" has something to say to his ex-business partners, John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark, who filed a lawsuit against the HGTV host last week, alleging fraud.
Gaines went on Twitter to respond to the lawsuit filed against him, and by the looks of it, it seems both Lewis and Clark, whom he called "friends," did not even try talking to him before filing the $1 million suit.
"FYI: I've had the same cell # 15 yrs. Same email for 20 yrs. No one called or emailed? 4 years later 'friends' reach out via lawsuit. Hummmm," tweeted Gaines.
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Gaines went on to share a verse from the bible about surmounting darkness through light. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it," he wrote.
The suit filed by Lewis and Clark covered not only Gaines, but also Magnolia Realty, the parent company of HGTV and production company of "Fixer Upper." Reports say that in 2013, Lewis and Clark sold their stakes in the realty to the HGTV host for $2,500 each. This came two days before he and his wife Joanna announced that they would start "Fixer Upper."
In the suit, Clark and Lewis claim that Gaines committed fraud because he did not let them know of his plans to launch the TV show when they sold their stakes to him. Now, Gaines' ex-business partners want him to pay more than $1 million in damages. They also want their stakes in Magnolia Realty back.
Meanwhile, Jordan Mayfield, Gaines' family attorney, called the suit "meritless." He said a copy of the petition has already reached them but they have yet to look it over in detail. However, he said they are "generally aware" of the story.
"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," said Mayfield.
