Donovan Eckhardt, the Chicago contractor who appeared on episodes of “Windy City Rehab,” filed a lawsuit Monday against HGTV and the production company responsible for the reality show in the latest development of the ongoing dispute between Eckhardt, the program and host Alison Victoria Gramenos.
The 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that after issues during season one of the show led to a theme of “crisis management,” the second season depicts Eckhardt as the “villain and cause” of all the problems, including Victoria’s financial troubles.
Many episodes of the show include fake scenes intended to make Eckhardt look bad and Victoria come off as a victim, the suit claims. “Nothing in this carefully scripted, choreographed and edited scene is true,” the lawsuit says of a segment in which Victoria wonders what Eckhardt did with construction funds.
The suit asks a judge to impose damages exceeding $2.2 million for alleged defamation and infliction of emotional distress. Discovery Inc., the parent company of HGTV, and Big Table Media, the production company that makes the show, are named as defendants.
