Reality stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have made millions off book deals, but their latest partnership may have gotten them in legal trouble.
According to TMZ, court documents reveal the couple are being sued by their former book agent, who claims they weren’t paid after the Gaines couple signed a deal with another company.
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Chip and Joanna originally signed a $12.5 million deal in 2017 with HarperCollins to produce five books. At the time, they were being represented by Vigilano Associates.
The court documents alleged that Chip and Joana agreed to give their literary agent 7.5% of all payments received through the deal. Vigilano says they received payment for the first two books with no problem. But things started to change when it came time to fulfill the remaining books.
The literary agent claims they received compensation (7.5% of all payments) for the first two books. But things apparently changed when it came time to fulfill the remaining books.
Vigliano argued that Chip and Joana tried to lower the deal from five to four books.
A post shared by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines)
Additionally, the couple allegedly switched the author from Joanna to Chip on the remaining books. Vigliano says they were only entitled to payment for books authored by Joanna, so the move effectively nullified the couple’s obligation to pay Vigilano’s commission.
Moreover, Vigliano argues the couple went on to sign a new deal with another literary agent, which produced their book “The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters.” Vigilano argues that profits from the book should go to its company.
The book agent is seeking $1 million in damages.
This isn’t the first lawsuit the HGTV stars have faced over the years. In 2016, their neighbor filed a $1 million case over a fence. They settled the lawsuit after Chip and Joanna agreed to buy the next-door property for nearly a million.
A post shared by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines)
However, they faced another lawsuit the following year filed by two of Chip’s former business partners. They claimed Chip pressured them to sell their shares in Magnolia Reality and were seeking over $1 million in compensation. The case was dismissed in 2020.
In addition to lawsuit, the Gaines have faced controversy for their renovations. In several instances, their work was alleged to be shoddy.
Their Magnolia Network also had to pull a show in 2020 after the hosts, Andy and Candis Meredith, were accused of ruining the homeowner’s house. The scandal came shortly after the network debuted.
Sources: TMZ, Insider,
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