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Tear it down! Couple suing hosts of “Windy City Rehab” want show canceled
James and Anna Morrissey say they have spent $80K to fix “shoddy” work done on their $1.4M home, purchased after it was featured in an episode
The latest addition to the “Windy City Rehab” saga could mean a teardown for the show itself.
James and Anna Morrissey, the Lincoln Square homeowners suing co-stars of the HGTV program for fraud, now want the show canceled, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The couple paid nearly $1.4 million for the 4,000-square-foot house after it was featured in a January 2019 episode of “Windy City Rehab.”
The Morrisseys claim they have since spent $80,000 to fix the problem-”plagued” home at 2308 West Giddings Street, including severe leaks, along with an improperly installed roof and windows.
The Morrisseys filed a lawsuit against co-stars Alison Victoria Gramenos and her former partner, Donovan Eckhardt, to reverse the sale receive compensation for the repairs. Last month, the couple Discovery Inc., the parent company of HGTV, in the lawsuit.
“Discovery’s promotion, endorsement, sponsorship, approval and certification that Victoria and Eckhardt were experts in real estate renovation and development was a determinative factor in Plaintiff’s decision to enter into the agreement,” the couple said in a motion filed late last month in Cook County Circuit Court. The couple is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting Discovery from endorsing, sponsoring and promoting the “Windy City Rehab” hosts.
In a separate motion, Gramenos and her lawyers argue that the couple’s request to shut down the show violates freedom of speech rights. They’re trying to get the entire case tossed.
Gramenos previously offered to buy back the house and live in it.
Production was put on hold for half a year as the show faced a dozen stop-work orders and a suspended contractor license. [Sun-Times] — Brianna Kelly