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Ex-'Law & Order: SVU' star Diane Neal claims her ex was a manipulative, abusive scumbag who hurt their dog, but he's firing back ... claiming SHE threatened to kill HIS dog.

Pro magician JB Benn makes the bombshell claims about Diane in a new lawsuit he's filed against her which, at its heart, is about money he claims Diane owes him for a property they shared. The real nasty part of the suit, though, are his allegations about Diane's threatening behavior -- especially during one particularly vicious tirade which he recorded.

Diane unloaded in March 2018, yelling at JB ... "You are the least fun person I have ever met. You don't think it's about connections because you refuse to be connected with anybody. Even me! Which is why I am going to punish you with death and kill your f**king dog."

She also eviscerates him for not giving up his mobile phone's security code. Listen to it, 'cause on a scale of 1 to 10, it's an 11. In docs, obtained by TMZ, JB says he often recorded their arguments because he feared she'd eventually blame him for any "misfortune" in their relationship.

The recording is an exhibit in his lawsuit which comes on the heels of Diane suing him last week -- alleging JB is a fraudster who swindled her out of millions, and allegedly abused her physically and emotionally.

Diane makes a brutal dog allegation of her own in her suit ... claiming JB slit their poodle's throat. He denied all of her claims and says a feral cat did in the poodle.

Read more from our friends at TMZ