Nova Scotia court says damage to student rental house like movie ‘Animal House’
A Nova Scotia small claims adjudicator has likened a dispute over damage to a student rental house as something that could have been included in the 1978 movie “Animal House.”
As a result, eight former tenants of the house in Antigonish, N.S., are now on the hook for nearly $6,000 in damages following a written decision released Friday by adjudicator Raffi Balmanoukian.
In his ruling, Balmanoukian draws similarities to the National Lampoon comedy featuring the late John Belushi. It features a troublemaking fraternity in what has been described as the original frat house party movie.
“Missing from that classic, perhaps is a storyline in which the homeowner and inhabitants confront each other about the state of the dwelling in which much of the action takes place,” wrote Balmanoukian. “If such a scene there had been, I expect it would have looked something like this dispute.”
The adjudicator characterized the photographic evidence of the state of the house as showing a “pigsty.” He noted that the lawyer for the tenants “did not disagree.” …[Continue Reading]