'Fixer Upper' star fires back on Twitter about $1M lawsuit

Chip Gaines isn't mincing words with his "friends."

The Fixer Upper star took to Twitter this weekend to fire back at his former partners about a lawsuit filed against him for more than $1 million and to share a biblical quote about overcoming darkness.

"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," he wrote.

The message was posted after a lawsuit was filed by  John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark, Gaines' former Magnolia Realty partners.  They are accusing him of fraud.  The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Gaines of persuading his then-colleagues to sell their ownership stakes at Magnolia Realty, before he was prominently featured on Fixer Upper.

According to the suit, Lewis and Clark sold their stakes at $2,500 apiece to Gaines on May 6, 2013, two days before Gaines announced the launch of his show Fixer Upper, an HGTV series that features Chip and his wife Joanna turning "fixer uppers" into the homes of clients' dreams. By withholding information about the show's premiere to Lewis and Clark, the suit says Gaines committed fraud.

Lewis and Clark are demanding more than $1 million and their ownership stakes back.

Gaines' attorney, Jordan Mayfield, dismissed the lawsuit in a statement, saying, "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."