Settlement reached in case of mistakenly demolished Mississauga house

A settlement has been reached in a case of a contractor who demolished a portion of a Mississauga man’s property by mistake.

The settlement, which multiple parties acknowledged to CTV News on Friday, brings an end to a seven-year legal battle that pitched the owner of the property against the contractor and its insurance company.

“It was quite the shock, to say the least,” said Angelo Raitsinis, describing finding out that part of the property had come down in an interview Friday morning, before the settlement had been reached.

He said that he had purchased the property about 10 years ago, and he and his family did not live there at the time the home was demolished.

Raitsinis said he had plans to rebuild there and had taken several steps towards a demolition permit, but said he gave that up because he ran out of cash.

“I planned to move my family in, as I had young children at the time. And it just didn’t work out that way,” he said.

He sued the contractor for $1.5 million, saying that the contractor arrived to knock down a house at 25 Theodore Dr. in Mississauga in 2018, across the street.

However, “Instead of demolishing the building property located at 25 Theodore Drive, Mississauga, the Defendants demolished or partially demolished beyond repair the building owned by the Plaintiffs at 28 Theodore Drive,” his lawsuit says.

A walk-through video taken by Raitsinis shows part of the house had been knocked down, with rubble on one side of the property, while another part of the property was left standing.

Reached by CTV News, one of the family members that operates the contracting business acknowledged the mistake, and said a worker dropped an excavator off at the wrong house.

He said that the mistake was more understandable because both properties appeared ready for demolition, and utilities had been cut off.

The legal dispute was apparently about how much to pay in an insurance payout: more money for a complete house, or less money for a partial one, taking into account the condition of the property.

The contractor’s insurance company, Intact, told CTV News on Friday morning, “Our team continues to be engaged in discussions and has made a number of attempts to reach a reasonable resolution.”

The trial was set to begin on Monday, but the parties came to a resolution after a closed-door hearing on Friday.

Raitsinis said one reason he couldn’t approach his own insurance company for a payout is because he didn’t have home insurance on the property.

“My wife thought I had taken care of it, and vice versa. And here we are,” he said.

It’s not clear how much the settlement was, but Raitsinis said earlier in the day he may use any money to kick-start construction there.