Donovan Eckhardt is the former lead contractor on ‘Windy City Rehab,’. He seems to have vanished from the show in Season 4. As we go deeper into the latest season, let’s go through the drama and find out what happened to Donovan.
During Season 2, both Alison and Donovan faced a lot of lawsuits related to the projects shown in Season 1. These legal troubles caused a rift between the former work partners. Interestingly, Season 3 focused mainly on Alison, leaving fans asking about the status of her working relationship with Donovan. So, what went on with Donovan on ‘Windy City Rehab’? Let’s find out the details.
Donovan Eckhardt’s Lawsuit
Donovan Eckhardt took legal action against the production and parent companies of ‘Windy City Rehab,’. He filed a lawsuit for an amount of $2.2 million. As per Cinema Blend, he said that the show’s production team led to his emotional problems after some unhappy homeowners who had renovation work done on the show filed a number of lawsuits.
Donovan’s lawsuit also tried to prove that the allegations of misappropriation, embezzlement, or wrongful money dealings from previous projects are wrong. He felt that the way the show showed him was not right.
Outcome of The Lawsuit
Unfortunately for Donovan, the court turned down his lawsuit in July 2021. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the judge ruled in favor of the production companies, showing that Donovan’s contract says that any legal problems must be fixed in a California court. Although an appeal was filed, it is still very unclear if the lawsuit will be re-filed in California.
Despite the legal problems, Donovan seems to move forward. His Instagram account shows him actively working on new renovation projects, showing his love for his work.
Home Owner’s Complaints
Both Alison and Donovan faced a lot of lawsuits for bad work shown in Season 1 of ‘Windy City Rehab.’ One couple, who had their house shown in an episode, had to face a lot of issues with the renovation.
Soon after closing on the property, an upstairs bathroom started leaking water into the kitchen, while inspection showed many wrongly set up windows. This couple filed a lawsuit against Alison and Donovan. Similar problems arose for another couple, which led to another lawsuit against the hosts.
Additionally, a former friend of Donovan said that he and his family invested millions of dollars in the show’s projects, only to find out later that Donovan’s skills in the Chicago building were fake. Needless to say, this puts a lot of pressure on Donovan. Hence, he chose to take action.
Alison and Donovan’s Partnership
The beginning of the end of Alison and Donovan’s business partnership and friendship was clear in Season 2. One episode showed their loan application was turned down, and Alison found out that a large portion of their renovation budget had been paid to Donovan’s company. Furthermore, she did not know about this.
Conclusion
Lastly, it is clear that Alison and Donovan are no longer working together. With Donovan not being in Season 3, Alison can now move on, leaving behind the problems and the drama.
Don’t forget to catch the new episodes of ‘Windy City Rehab’ on HGTV every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. Stay tuned for more home renovation adventures.
Also read: What Happened to The Boonk Gang? Here’s all You Need to Know!
