Judge Judy: Agent Sues ... I Want My Piece of the Pie!!!

The agent who claims to have discovered Judge Judy has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the company that produces the show, claiming the honchos are screwing them out of profits ... but Judy is scoffing at the suit saying the guy behind it is just an ingrate.

Rebel Entertainment, which is run by Richard Lawrence, claims the show has raked in $1.7 BILLION since it debuted in 1996, yet the honchos at production company Big Ticket and CBS say the show is operating at a loss.

According to the suit, which includes CBS as a defendant, Lawrence met Judy 20 years ago and put the show together, with a deal that he and his company would get 5% of net profits. The suit claims they haven't seen a penny since 2010.

Rebel claims Judy had her salary doubled in 2009 to a whopping $45 million, virtually wiping out any profits. There are reports Judy makes $47 mil a year.

Judy has issued a blistering statement, saying, "The fact that Richard Lawrence is complaining about my salary is actually hilarious. I met Mr. Lawrence for 2 hours some 21 years ago. Neither I nor anyone involved in the day-to-day production of my program has heard from him in 20 years. Not a card, not a gift, not a flower, not a congratulations, yet he has somehow received over $17,000,000 from my program."

Judy goes on, "My rudimentary math translates that into $8,500,000 an hour for Mr. Lawrence. Not a bad payday. Now complaining about not getting enough money, that's real chutzpah!"