A couple who made a shocking discovery after buying what they believed was their dream home are now suing the seller.
Daniel and Lynn Rae Wentworth bought the home in Pennsylvania nearly two years ago.
It wasn’t until they moved in that they found what they allege is a swastika tiled on the basement’s floor.
According to PEOPLE magazine, which obtained the complaint filed in court on August 27, the Wentworths made an agreement with the property’s seller to buy the home back in September 2023.
Speaking to KDKA, Lynn Rae said: ‘We loved the historical nature of [the house] and the fact that there [was the] opportunity to update it and still keep that flare.’
During the walk through and home inspections, everything seemed to be in order, and so the couple put in their offer.
But months after moving into the home, according to Lynn Rae, she and her nephew were cleaning up a few things that the seller had left in the basement.
After moving large rug and table, they made the discovery.
Lynn Rae Wentworth (pictured) says she was ‘mortified’ after discovering a symbol tiled into the basement of her new home
According to Lynn Rae: ‘I was like, “there’s something tiled into the floor here”. And you take a step over here, and you’re like, “oh my gosh, this is a swastika, nearly six feet in diameter”.
‘A swastika and what appears to be a German War Eagle were discovered permanently tiled into the floor. I was just shocked, mortified.’
The complaint filed by the Wentworths accuses the seller of hiding the symbol.
It alleges the seller did so ‘knowingly and intentionally’, and they describe the alleged conduct as being ‘wholly outrageous, willful, wanton and reckless’.
Under Pennsylvania real estate seller disclosure law, sellers are supposed to make potential buyers aware of any defects the seller is aware of.
The Wentworths allege that the seller violated this law in not telling them about the symbol.
Daniel Stoner, the Wentworths’ attorney, spoke to KDKA about the matter, saying that the symbol was allegedly installed in the basement floor by the seller in the 1970s.
He said: ‘We believe this is something that should have been disclosed to them from the start.
Describing having the symbol in the basement of her home, Lynn Rae (pictured) said: ‘It’s mine now, and I don’t want it, but it’s mine. I own it, which is horrific’
‘They should have been given the option as to whether or not this is something they would want to be in their home.’
He described the case as the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
Stoner then noted that the Wentworths want the law to be changed, making it a crime to not disclose permanently installed hate symbols in a home.
However, Stoner continued that the seller described the swastika as an ancient symbol ‘that means many different things in many different cultures, and in most cultures it’s a positive thing’.
Furthermore, the seller has argued in court papers that the buyers could have moved the table and rug covering the design and seen it.
They described the symbol as a cosmetic feature of the home, and not a defect.
The seller therefore argued that this means they were not obliged to disclose it to the buyers.
Speaking to KDKA, Lynn Rae disagreed, noting that they may not have purchased the home had they known about it.
According to Lynn Rae, because she didn’t know about the symbol, they ‘weren’t able to make an informed decision about a huge purchase’
She said: ‘This is our home. This is where we live. This is where we have family. We weren’t able to make an informed decision about a huge purchase in our lives.
‘We were denied that opportunity simply because somebody couldn’t take five seconds to say, “hey, take a look at the basement floor, there are some symbols down there”.’
Now, the couple say the tiles now need to be removed and the flooring replaced – at a cost of $30,000 – and that the seller should be responsible for covering the cost.
The total of the damages they are seeking is an amount no greater than $50,000.
Describing having the symbol in the basement of her home, Lynn Rae said: ‘It’s mine now, and I don’t want it, but it’s mine. I own it, which is horrific.’
