HGTV 'Fixer Upper' star Chip Gaines sued by former business partners

WACO, Texas – Two men are suing HGTV Fixer Upper star Chip Gaines after they say he convinced them to sell their stakes in Magnolia Realty just days before Gaines announced the hit show.

KCEN-TV reports Gaines’ former business partners, Richard L. Clark and John L. Lewis, want over $1 million and their ownership stakes back, or what their stakes would be worth now.

The lawsuit alleges Gaines convinced Clark and Lewis to sell their 1/3 ownership of Magnolia Realty for $2,500 each while not disclosing plans about Fixer Upper.

Clark and Lewis sold their stakes just two days before Chip Gaines publicly announced the new HGTV show.

Before Fixer Upper became a hit, Magnolia Reality had only one employee. Now the booming company has 93 real estate agents across Texas.

Gaines’ attorney said the lawsuit was baseless, adding that it’s “disappointing to see people try to take advantage of the hard work and success of Chip and Joanna Gaines.”