The co-stars of popular HGTV program "Windy City Rehab" are facing another lawsuit related to work performed on the TV show. Michael Ward Jr. and his family are suing Alison Victoria Gamenos and Donovan Eckhardt, accusing the stars of running a "deliberate and fraudulent scheme to misappropriate funds," after Ward and his family invested $3 million in projects featured on "Windy City Rehab," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The lawsuit accuses both stars of "bungling" and gross mismanagement of "nearly every project they were associated with" and Eckhardt of falsely claiming close ties with the Chicago city building department. The suit also challenges efforts by Victoria to lay full blame on Eckhardt. According to the suit, Victoria is claiming to be unaware of Eckhardt's fraud "notwithstanding her own secreting of funds from closing proceeds."
Ward Jr. and his family filed the suit in the Cook County circuit court, claiming to have put up $3 million for a 50% stake in Alovanward LLC, which funded six projects featured on "Windy City Rehab." The plaintiffs claimed they expected to receive a good return on their money and were enticed by claims the two defendants were expert house flippers. The suit claims Eckhardt "falsely claimed he had specific expertise in the city of Chicago whereby his personal relationships with city building officials and ready access to additional working capital would streamline the 'flipping' process." The investors claim to have discovered the "ineptitude" of the stars by watching the program, including one instance where an entire brick facade collapsed.
The plaintiffs claim the venture fell apart due to the defendants' "sheer ineptitude and duplicity," the absence of workmanlike standards, and the failure to adhere to building codes. The Wards claim they are owed nearly $2 million. The Wards want a judge to order Victoria and Eckhardt repay their investment and order a full accounting of the properties on the show as well as pay punitive damages.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Victoria's lawyer is repeating past comments blaming Eckhardt. Victoria has suffered "substantial losses of her own" and tried to provide documents to the Wards but has been unable to obtain project documents from Eckhardt, according to her lawyer.
The co-stars of "Windy City Rehab" have encountered numerous difficulties since their show first aired in January 2019. Victoria and Eckhardt drew complaints from neighbors about trash, noise, and unsecured worksites for homes featured on the show, and Eckhardt's Greymark Development Group was hit with a stop-work order related to building permits last May. Greymark Development Group had its permit privileges revoked for a year in the city of Chicago in July 2019. Victoria and Eckhardt were permitted to work on some properties in December 2019; however, the city upheld bans on applying for new building permits. Additionally, the co-stars face two separate lawsuits from buyers alleging shoddy work on homes featured on the program, one filed in January 2020 and a second filed in April.
The first season of "Windy City Rehab" attracted 9.3 million viewers in the show's first month and a half, according to HGTV. The show was picked up for a second season, which is expected to air in July. Eckhardt will not return as the general contractor for the second season, according to the Chicago Tribune.
