Home United States USA — Cinema ‘Windy City Rehab’ star Donovan Eckhardt files $2.2M defamation lawsuit over ‘villain’...

‘Windy City Rehab’ star Donovan Eckhardt files $2.2M defamation lawsuit over ‘villain’ portrayal

218
0
SHARE

Former « Windy City Rehab » co-star Donovan Eckhardt is suing HGTV’s parent company and the production studio behind the popular home remodeling series, claiming defamation …
Former « Windy City Rehab » co-star Donovan Eckhardt is suing HGTV’s parent company and the production studio behind the popular home remodeling series, claiming defamation and emotional distress brought on by what he alleges was a « humiliating » and « villain » portrayal during the second season of the show. The ex-business partner, contractor and developer associate of series co-star, Alison Victoria, filed a suit in Illinois’ Cook County Circuit Court on Monday against Discovery Inc. and production company Big Table Media. Eckhardt claims the home renovation title was scripted in its delivery of content and was edited to make Eckhardt out to be a bad person and Victoria a victim of his dealings, according to People magazine. Despite Victoria being an executive producer on the beloved HGTV flipping series – which was one of the network’s top-rated shows in 2019 – the lively co-host is not named as a defendant in the court filing, the publication said on Friday. Victoria’s attorney issued a no comment on the filing to People magazine, and HGTV told Fox News it does not comment on ongoing litigation. Reps Victoria did not immediately respond to Fox News’ requests for comment. Eckhardt and Victoria endured a tumultuous relationship during the show’s second season, and Eckhardt exited the series after the working pair had a fallout regarding their projects’ finances. The schism and tension proved unbearable on screen as Eckhardt took umbrage with accusations from Victoria centered on payouts to Eckhardt’s companies.

Continue reading...