Chip Gaines pushed back on social media against a lawsuit filed last month by two of his former partners who accused the Texas-based HGTV star of fraud.
Gaines, who stars on "Fixer Upper," went to Twitter to publicly comment on the complaint filed in state district court in Waco, Texas, by John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark, his former partners at Magnolia Realty.
The lawsuit, which is seeking more than $1 million, names Gaines, Magnolia Realty, Scripps Network, which owns HGTV, and High Noon Productions, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.
Lewis and Clark's lawsuit alleges Gaines bought them out for $2,500 each on May 6, 2013, two days before he announced the launch of his show "Fixer Upper" on HGTV. The show features Chip and his wife Joanna turning "fixer uppers" into the homes of clients' dreams.
"In summary, at a time when only the defendants knew that 'Fixer Upper' had been fast-tracked for a one-hour premiere on HGTV and was on the verge of radically changing their lives and business enterprises, Chip Gaines conspired to eliminate his business partners — notwithstanding their longstanding friendship — in order to ensure that he alone would profit from Magnolia Realty's association with 'Fixer Upper,'" reads the lawsuit, according to the Tribune-Herald.
Jordan Mayfield, the attorneys for Gaines, called the lawsuit "meritless," USA Today reported.
"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," he said.
Joanna Gaines addressed rumors about her leaving the show to get into the beauty business and that the show might not return in her April 21 post on her blog "At Home."
"And just in case you were wondering, YES! We are currently filming season 5 of the show," Gaines wrote. "No! I am not getting into the business of facial creams. And No! We are not expecting baby #5. And no worries, believing some of these stories happens to the best of us."