Welp… as if we didn’t see this one coming!

Kandi Burruss of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is finally clapping back at the outrageous claims made by her former employee on the show.

If you recall, Johnnie Winston sought out Phaedra Parks to inquire about his claims and she subsequently referred him to another attorney. Even though Phaedra wasn’t ‘technically’ his attorney, she sat in on all the meetings and it was all filmed for the popular reality show.

[READ: Recap: RHOA Season 9 Finale “Chateau She Did That” +? FULL VIDEO…]

Now Kandi has launched her own legal “clap-back” in the form of a defamation suit!

Details below…

TheJasmineBrand has revealed that Kandi has filed an answer to Johnnie’s claims and states that she will be counter-suing her former employee Johnnie Winston.

In the court documents, the reality star accuses her former employee of attempting to intentionally malign her reputation and harm her good name through false and malicious accusations. She believes it is also an attempt to garner free publicity and national attention by creating a false story line to stay relevant on ?The Real Housewives of Atlanta?.

She points out his unsubstantiated attacks against her coincide with the filming of the latest season of RHOA, which secured him airtime and free publicity for himself on the show.

Kandi says during filming Johnnie made numerous statements on camera that were not only slanderous, defamatory and calculated to injure her public persona and professional brand, but were in breach of the non-disclosure he signed when terminated.

Subsequent to the end of Mr. Winston?s business relationship with Kandi Koated Entertainment, Mr. Winston would no longer have the access or ability to appear on RHOA that he previously enjoyed due to his prior business relationship with Kandi Koated Entertainment.

She also notes in the court docs that she had no idea that Johnnie was unsatisfied with his pay, and first learned of that during filming, when they were shooting back in August 2016… months after he was fired.

If you watch the show, you’re aware that Johnnie met with Kandi’s RHOA co-star Phaedra Parks several times on the show, despite her never having represented him.

During the scenes, Johnny makes several allegations against his former employee, “Kandi Koated Entertainment,” stating he had not received adequate pay from Kandi and accused the reality star of ripping off his ideas for her ‘A Mother’s Love’ play and Todd’s ‘OLG Restaurant’.

In her legal response, Kandi says as a result of Johnnie’s false and malicious statements, she has suffered and continues to suffer humiliation, ridicule, hatred, contempt, injury and impairment to her reputation along with embarrassment and is seeking damages that she incurred and will continue to suffer.

Burruss is demanding damages for Johnnie’s breach of the Non-Disclosure agreement and unspecified damages for the defamation and slander against her.

CLICK HERE to review the legal documents.

What do you think about Kandi’s decision to counter-sue?