In a notable legal case, a couple in London was granted a refund for a £32 million ($39 million) mansion after discovering a severe moth infestation that rendered the property uninhabitable. The couple, Iya Patarkatsishvili and her husband, Dr. Yevhen Hunyak, purchased the Victorian mansion in Notting Hill in 2019. Shortly after moving in, they noticed signs of a moth infestation, which escalated to the point where Dr. Hunyak was reportedly swatting up to 100 moths daily. The infestation caused significant damage, including the destruction of clothing and contamination of food and wine.
The couple took legal action against the seller, property developer William Woodward-Fisher, alleging that he failed to disclose the infestation. The High Court ruled in their favor, ordering Woodward-Fisher to refund the purchase price, minus £6 million for the time the couple lived in the property, and to pay an additional £4 million in damages. The court found that Woodward-Fisher had provided false answers about the property’s condition and had failed to disclose the serious infestation.
This case underscores the importance of transparency in property transactions and serves as a cautionary tale for both buyers and sellers in the real estate market.
