Post by Bearcata on Apr 9, 2022 3:30:37 GMT
Very impressed with Fix My Flip with Page Turner. She comes in and helps flippers finish their flips. I like the format of the show and how Page narrates it. She treats it as business and does a much better job mentoring that Tarek does in Flipping 101 with Tarel El Moussa. When you compare the two shows Tarek's show is so much about him and his "luxe" lifestyle and his ego it makes you want to vomit.
The latest episode was mind boggling to see flippers so fixated on their vision that they literally cannot see the pitfall they running full speed into and with their parents money.
Fix My Flip is only 6 episodes long and the last episode airs April 14, 2022 and the following week Season 3 of Windy City Rehab starts.
FYI: people.com/home/windy-city-rehab-villain-donovan-eckhardt-files-2-2m-defamation-lawsuit-after-shocking-exit/
One lawsuit settled, at least three more to go: pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/settlement-reached-in-windy-city-rehab-lawsuit-over-work-on-chicago-home/article_f780a51e-97ae-5d19-abb1-27b91aac656c.html
Settlement reached in ‘Windy City Rehab’ lawsuit over work on Chicago home
Sarah Freishtat Chicago Tribune Dec 2, 2021
CHICAGO - “Windy City Rehab” stars Alison Victoria Gramenos and Donovan Eckhardt have reached a settlement with a Lincoln Square couple who sued over the renovation of their home on the popular HGTV show, their attorneys said.
In the lawsuit, filed in December 2019, James and Anna Morrissey alleged problems with the roof, windows, exterior masonry and hallway bathroom of a home they purchased that had been featured on the first season of the show.
An attorney for the Morrisseys, Robert McLaughlin, declined to provide details about the settlement, saying the parties agreed to keep the terms confidential.
He and attorneys for Gramenos and Eckhardt praised the settlement.
“From the beginning, it was my intention to design a great house in a great neighborhood,” Gramenos said in a statement. “Fortunately all issues involved in the litigation are settled.”
Eckhardt said in an email through his attorney that “he looks forward to moving on with other business opportunities in the future.”
The Morrisseys sued Gramenos, Eckhardt, contractor Ermin Pajazetovic and related business entities for fraud, claiming they were sold a $1.36 million home with a failing roof, poorly installed windows, deteriorating masonry and a shower that leaked through the kitchen ceiling below.
At one point Gramenos’ Bucktown home entered the legal battle, when the Morrisseys sought a temporary restraining order to block the sale of the home, saying they feared Gramenos was trying to shield her personal assets from a judgement collection if they won their suit. A Cook County judge denied the request in October 2020, and Gramenos sold her home this October after about a year on and off the market.
Gramenos’ attorney, Daniel Lynch, issued a statement Wednesday calling the settlement “a mutually beneficial resolution of this matter.” McLaughlin said in a statement the parties had “amicably” resolved the issue.
Gramenos, the designer and host, and Eckhardt, the former lead contractor, purchased, renovated and flipped homes in Chicago on the popular show.
Season 2 of “Windy City Rehab” followed the breakdown in the relationship of the once close friends. They ran into trouble with the city for alleged building violations and were involved in a slew of lawsuits, many of which have been settled or dropped.
They remain subject to a lawsuit brought by a family of investors who said they were not properly repaid. In July, Cook County Judge Allen Walker had agreed to mediate settlement negotiations.
Another lawsuit alleging Gramenos and Eckhardt owe a pair of suburban Chicago lenders money also remains ongoing. An attorney for Eckhardt, James Skyles, has previously disputed that Eckhardt owes the lenders money.
Lynch has previously said the dispute is “another in a series of claims arising out of the fallout of the ongoing business divorce” between Gramenos and Eckhardt.
Additional episodes of Season 2 were slated to premiere late this year, but have been pushed back to 2022. Gramenos said the show is filming Season 3.
www.cinemablend.com/television/2570989/windy-city-rehab-donovan-eckhardt-bad-news-lawsuit-against-hgtv-show
The latest episode was mind boggling to see flippers so fixated on their vision that they literally cannot see the pitfall they running full speed into and with their parents money.
Fix My Flip is only 6 episodes long and the last episode airs April 14, 2022 and the following week Season 3 of Windy City Rehab starts.
FYI: people.com/home/windy-city-rehab-villain-donovan-eckhardt-files-2-2m-defamation-lawsuit-after-shocking-exit/
Windy City Rehab's Donovan Eckhardt Files $2.2M Defamation Lawsuit Over 'Humiliating' Portrayal
The show's second season was the most "traumatic event Donovan and his family ever endured," and damaged his mental and physical health, the filing claims.
By Hannah Chubb
Alison Victoria's former Windy City Rehab costar, Donovan Eckhardt, has filed a lawsuit claiming defamation and emotional distress as a result of his portrayal as a fraudulent "villain" on the second season of the hit HGTV show.
In a lawsuit filed in Illinois's Cook County Circuit Court on Monday against Discovery Inc. (HGTV's parent company) and Big Table Media (Windy City Rehab's production company), Eckhardt — Victoria's former business partner and the contractor and developer on the show — explains his side of the story, and claims that the series was scripted and edited to make him look like the bad guy, and Victoria, 39, the victim.
Victoria, who is also one of the executive producers of the show, is not listed as a defendant in the filing. Her lawyer had no comment on the filing. HGTV told PEOPLE it does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Eckhardt departed the show in the middle of season 2 after a falling out with Victoria over their projects' finances that played out on screen. The rift, which included Victoria's accusations of questionable payouts to Eckhardt's companies, only heightened tension between the pair following several stop-work orders issued by the city of Chicago, a threatened suspension of Eckhardt's licenses, and two lawsuits from former clients alleging faulty work.
In Monday's filing, Eckhardt goes through each episode of the series' second season, explaining how he feels he was inaccurately portrayed in each. He claims that the allegations of mishandling and stealing company finances, poor communication with Victoria, an inability to perform and a lack of integrity are all false.
He also claims that he was "placed under constant pressure by Big Table Media to complete the projects being filmed for season one," and that "aggressive filming and production deadlines" from the network and production company were to blame for many of the stop-work orders, construction problems, blocked permits and license suspensions that he and Victoria faced over the past several years, all of which, he says led to legal troubles for the pair.
As a result of the time constraints, the lawsuit states that he and Victoria "proceeded with certain work without obtaining approved amendments to necessary permits, without completed inspections, and ultimately received various building code citations which resulted in the temporary suspension of both of their respective licenses and privileges to apply for building permits."
The dramatic scenes in Season 2, he claims, were "carefully scripted, choreographed and edited" to lay the blame on him. He says he was presented as "the villain and cause" and "Alison as the unknowing, innocent victim of all of the issues, which Alison allegedly encountered in Season 2 as well as Alison's claimed financial ruin."
The filing asks that Discovery Inc. and Big Table Media award Eckhardt in excess of $2.2 million for actual, punitive and compensatory damages for counts of "defamation" and "intentional infliction of emotional distress."
"Donovan has suffered emotional injuries including anxiety, depression, diminished self-esteem, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate and embarrassment, and has been undergoing continuous counseling and behavioral treatment," the lawsuit reads, claiming that the defendants were in an unfair position of authority over Eckhardt, and were aware that he was "prone to anxiety and vulnerable to emotional distress."
The document continues, "The broadcasting of the foregoing Season 2 episodes was the most embarrassing, humiliating and traumatic event Donovan and his family ever endured, and damaged Donovan's mental and physical health."
Various cruel comments left on Eckhardt's social media are also listed, many of which contain "explicit threats of bodily harm" toward him.
The lawsuit also claims that Eckhardt has been financially impacted by the alleged defamation, asserting that his generated revenue dropped from $1,447,448.92 in 2019 to $251,565.60 in 2020.
The show's second season was the most "traumatic event Donovan and his family ever endured," and damaged his mental and physical health, the filing claims.
By Hannah Chubb
Alison Victoria's former Windy City Rehab costar, Donovan Eckhardt, has filed a lawsuit claiming defamation and emotional distress as a result of his portrayal as a fraudulent "villain" on the second season of the hit HGTV show.
In a lawsuit filed in Illinois's Cook County Circuit Court on Monday against Discovery Inc. (HGTV's parent company) and Big Table Media (Windy City Rehab's production company), Eckhardt — Victoria's former business partner and the contractor and developer on the show — explains his side of the story, and claims that the series was scripted and edited to make him look like the bad guy, and Victoria, 39, the victim.
Victoria, who is also one of the executive producers of the show, is not listed as a defendant in the filing. Her lawyer had no comment on the filing. HGTV told PEOPLE it does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Eckhardt departed the show in the middle of season 2 after a falling out with Victoria over their projects' finances that played out on screen. The rift, which included Victoria's accusations of questionable payouts to Eckhardt's companies, only heightened tension between the pair following several stop-work orders issued by the city of Chicago, a threatened suspension of Eckhardt's licenses, and two lawsuits from former clients alleging faulty work.
In Monday's filing, Eckhardt goes through each episode of the series' second season, explaining how he feels he was inaccurately portrayed in each. He claims that the allegations of mishandling and stealing company finances, poor communication with Victoria, an inability to perform and a lack of integrity are all false.
He also claims that he was "placed under constant pressure by Big Table Media to complete the projects being filmed for season one," and that "aggressive filming and production deadlines" from the network and production company were to blame for many of the stop-work orders, construction problems, blocked permits and license suspensions that he and Victoria faced over the past several years, all of which, he says led to legal troubles for the pair.
As a result of the time constraints, the lawsuit states that he and Victoria "proceeded with certain work without obtaining approved amendments to necessary permits, without completed inspections, and ultimately received various building code citations which resulted in the temporary suspension of both of their respective licenses and privileges to apply for building permits."
The dramatic scenes in Season 2, he claims, were "carefully scripted, choreographed and edited" to lay the blame on him. He says he was presented as "the villain and cause" and "Alison as the unknowing, innocent victim of all of the issues, which Alison allegedly encountered in Season 2 as well as Alison's claimed financial ruin."
The filing asks that Discovery Inc. and Big Table Media award Eckhardt in excess of $2.2 million for actual, punitive and compensatory damages for counts of "defamation" and "intentional infliction of emotional distress."
"Donovan has suffered emotional injuries including anxiety, depression, diminished self-esteem, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate and embarrassment, and has been undergoing continuous counseling and behavioral treatment," the lawsuit reads, claiming that the defendants were in an unfair position of authority over Eckhardt, and were aware that he was "prone to anxiety and vulnerable to emotional distress."
The document continues, "The broadcasting of the foregoing Season 2 episodes was the most embarrassing, humiliating and traumatic event Donovan and his family ever endured, and damaged Donovan's mental and physical health."
Various cruel comments left on Eckhardt's social media are also listed, many of which contain "explicit threats of bodily harm" toward him.
The lawsuit also claims that Eckhardt has been financially impacted by the alleged defamation, asserting that his generated revenue dropped from $1,447,448.92 in 2019 to $251,565.60 in 2020.
One lawsuit settled, at least three more to go: pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/settlement-reached-in-windy-city-rehab-lawsuit-over-work-on-chicago-home/article_f780a51e-97ae-5d19-abb1-27b91aac656c.html
Settlement reached in ‘Windy City Rehab’ lawsuit over work on Chicago home
Sarah Freishtat Chicago Tribune Dec 2, 2021
CHICAGO - “Windy City Rehab” stars Alison Victoria Gramenos and Donovan Eckhardt have reached a settlement with a Lincoln Square couple who sued over the renovation of their home on the popular HGTV show, their attorneys said.
In the lawsuit, filed in December 2019, James and Anna Morrissey alleged problems with the roof, windows, exterior masonry and hallway bathroom of a home they purchased that had been featured on the first season of the show.
An attorney for the Morrisseys, Robert McLaughlin, declined to provide details about the settlement, saying the parties agreed to keep the terms confidential.
He and attorneys for Gramenos and Eckhardt praised the settlement.
“From the beginning, it was my intention to design a great house in a great neighborhood,” Gramenos said in a statement. “Fortunately all issues involved in the litigation are settled.”
Eckhardt said in an email through his attorney that “he looks forward to moving on with other business opportunities in the future.”
The Morrisseys sued Gramenos, Eckhardt, contractor Ermin Pajazetovic and related business entities for fraud, claiming they were sold a $1.36 million home with a failing roof, poorly installed windows, deteriorating masonry and a shower that leaked through the kitchen ceiling below.
At one point Gramenos’ Bucktown home entered the legal battle, when the Morrisseys sought a temporary restraining order to block the sale of the home, saying they feared Gramenos was trying to shield her personal assets from a judgement collection if they won their suit. A Cook County judge denied the request in October 2020, and Gramenos sold her home this October after about a year on and off the market.
Gramenos’ attorney, Daniel Lynch, issued a statement Wednesday calling the settlement “a mutually beneficial resolution of this matter.” McLaughlin said in a statement the parties had “amicably” resolved the issue.
Gramenos, the designer and host, and Eckhardt, the former lead contractor, purchased, renovated and flipped homes in Chicago on the popular show.
Season 2 of “Windy City Rehab” followed the breakdown in the relationship of the once close friends. They ran into trouble with the city for alleged building violations and were involved in a slew of lawsuits, many of which have been settled or dropped.
They remain subject to a lawsuit brought by a family of investors who said they were not properly repaid. In July, Cook County Judge Allen Walker had agreed to mediate settlement negotiations.
Another lawsuit alleging Gramenos and Eckhardt owe a pair of suburban Chicago lenders money also remains ongoing. An attorney for Eckhardt, James Skyles, has previously disputed that Eckhardt owes the lenders money.
Lynch has previously said the dispute is “another in a series of claims arising out of the fallout of the ongoing business divorce” between Gramenos and Eckhardt.
Additional episodes of Season 2 were slated to premiere late this year, but have been pushed back to 2022. Gramenos said the show is filming Season 3.
www.cinemablend.com/television/2570989/windy-city-rehab-donovan-eckhardt-bad-news-lawsuit-against-hgtv-show
Windy City Rehab's Donovan Eckhardt Got Some Bad News In His Lawsuit Against The HGTV Show
By Adrienne Jones last updated January 28, 2022
At this point, it would be fair to call Windy City Rehab an embattled production. While the show was a major hit right out of the gate, it wasn't long after the first season aired that numerous problems with the homes that were renovated by contractor Donovan Eckhardt and designer Alison Victoria came to light. There have been a shocking number of lawsuits filed against the former business partners, with Eckhardt filing his own defamation and emotional distress suit against the production company behind Windy City Rehab and HGTV's parent company. Now, though, he's gotten some bad news about that suit.
It was back in January 2021 that Donovan Eckhardt, who was fired from Windy City Rehab in the spring of 2019, filed a lawsuit against Big Table Media (the show's production company) and Discovery (HGTV's parent company) for $2.2 million. This was because of alleged emotional distress he says he suffered after the show made it look, in Season 2, like "Donovan misappropriated, embezzled or wrongfully derived money from past projects," and showed Alison Victoria as the "unknowing, innocent victim."
Unfortunately for Eckhardt, Cook County Judge Patricia O’Brien Sheahan dismissed his lawsuit recently, noting that his contract stated that any legal disputes must be settled in a California court, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
A lawyer for Donovan Eckhardt, Daniel Hogan, tried to argue that moving the venue from Illinois to California would be too much of a burden for witnesses in the defamation case. Even though that would seem to be a worthwhile justification, especially with the current, tricky state of our ongoing health crisis, Judge O’Brien Sheahan noted that video-recorded testimony and other remote forms of participation were possible, so she rejected the argument and dismissed Eckhardt's lawsuit.
Eckhardt's attorney has already filed an appeal in the hopes of having the decision overturned, but we don't know right now if the plan is to re-file the lawsuit in California should the appeal prove unsuccessful.
Obviously, both stars of Windy City Rehab have seen several setbacks when it comes to the show and all of the legal drama surrounding it for the past two years. But, having his defamation lawsuit dismissed in Illinois has likely been a big blow for Donovan Eckhardt, who was both looking to recover some of his financial losses brought on by the show and all of the lawsuits, and regain at least some of his good name. In his original filing, Eckhardt reported that he'd suffered social media attacks from fans because of his portrayal on the series, and that helped lead to anxiety and depression.
Season 2 of Windy City Rehab showed Eckhardt and Alison Victoria's working relationship break down, and did, definitely, play Victoria as a "victim" of his supposedly shady business practices who seemed to only be interested in designing and claimed to know nothing about how he was handling the financials and other aspects of their partnership. Victoria was not named as a defendant in his original suit, but by the end of March, Eckhardt's attorney attached a new filing to the lawsuit claiming, in part, that she helped production stage scenes to make him look like the bad guy, including faking tears on camera.
I'm sure we'll see before much longer whether or not Donovan Eckhardt will decide to pursue his case on the west coast, until then, Windy City Rehab will be back for nine new Season 2 episodes later this year.
By Adrienne Jones last updated January 28, 2022
At this point, it would be fair to call Windy City Rehab an embattled production. While the show was a major hit right out of the gate, it wasn't long after the first season aired that numerous problems with the homes that were renovated by contractor Donovan Eckhardt and designer Alison Victoria came to light. There have been a shocking number of lawsuits filed against the former business partners, with Eckhardt filing his own defamation and emotional distress suit against the production company behind Windy City Rehab and HGTV's parent company. Now, though, he's gotten some bad news about that suit.
It was back in January 2021 that Donovan Eckhardt, who was fired from Windy City Rehab in the spring of 2019, filed a lawsuit against Big Table Media (the show's production company) and Discovery (HGTV's parent company) for $2.2 million. This was because of alleged emotional distress he says he suffered after the show made it look, in Season 2, like "Donovan misappropriated, embezzled or wrongfully derived money from past projects," and showed Alison Victoria as the "unknowing, innocent victim."
Unfortunately for Eckhardt, Cook County Judge Patricia O’Brien Sheahan dismissed his lawsuit recently, noting that his contract stated that any legal disputes must be settled in a California court, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
A lawyer for Donovan Eckhardt, Daniel Hogan, tried to argue that moving the venue from Illinois to California would be too much of a burden for witnesses in the defamation case. Even though that would seem to be a worthwhile justification, especially with the current, tricky state of our ongoing health crisis, Judge O’Brien Sheahan noted that video-recorded testimony and other remote forms of participation were possible, so she rejected the argument and dismissed Eckhardt's lawsuit.
Eckhardt's attorney has already filed an appeal in the hopes of having the decision overturned, but we don't know right now if the plan is to re-file the lawsuit in California should the appeal prove unsuccessful.
Obviously, both stars of Windy City Rehab have seen several setbacks when it comes to the show and all of the legal drama surrounding it for the past two years. But, having his defamation lawsuit dismissed in Illinois has likely been a big blow for Donovan Eckhardt, who was both looking to recover some of his financial losses brought on by the show and all of the lawsuits, and regain at least some of his good name. In his original filing, Eckhardt reported that he'd suffered social media attacks from fans because of his portrayal on the series, and that helped lead to anxiety and depression.
Season 2 of Windy City Rehab showed Eckhardt and Alison Victoria's working relationship break down, and did, definitely, play Victoria as a "victim" of his supposedly shady business practices who seemed to only be interested in designing and claimed to know nothing about how he was handling the financials and other aspects of their partnership. Victoria was not named as a defendant in his original suit, but by the end of March, Eckhardt's attorney attached a new filing to the lawsuit claiming, in part, that she helped production stage scenes to make him look like the bad guy, including faking tears on camera.
I'm sure we'll see before much longer whether or not Donovan Eckhardt will decide to pursue his case on the west coast, until then, Windy City Rehab will be back for nine new Season 2 episodes later this year.