This was one of the most interesting cases of 2023 and 2024.  

In truth, this case is a bit too exciting for Canadian real estate, as it offers Celebrity Status, with one of the best basketball players in the world, combined with Cryptocurrency, Fraud, Mob Violence... and lake front housing!?  Ultimately, it lead to a very interesting decision by the courts, one that may not be repeated under normal circumstances.

The case:

A landlord, who is actually a very famous builder/developer in the greater Toronto area, leased a property to a Mr. Pleterski in 2021 via a rent-to-own agreement.  If you recall, 2021 was a time of exponential growth in many markets, including crypto currency.  

Come the year 2022, as markets turned, it was found that Mr. Pleterski ("The Crypto King") had defrauded many people, to the tune of $25 million.  Furthermore, some were after him.

Supposedly the leasing agent feared for Pleterski's life at one point, and it was also known that in December of 2022, Pleterski was kidnapped by those he had defrauded. 

In 2023, the property was then sold to Shai Gilgeous Alexander (SGA), NBA Player.   Unbeknownst to him and his parter, they took possession, only to constantly have people knocking on the door looking for Pleterski.  These were not normal passer-bys, obviously.  The constant approaches to the house were threatening.

By late 2023, a hearing took place for a case putting SGA against the landlord, claiming that there was a defect known by the seller that rendered the property uninhabitable.  Interestingly, SGA won the case the court ordered a reversal of the sale and damages.

Typically, a latent defect refers to a physical property that makes a place uninhabitable, so it was very interesting to see judgement in this fashion.  This of course is an uncommon occurrence.

Who says Canadian Real Estate is boring?

Source: https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2023/2023onsc6688/2023onsc6688.html