A couple are suing a home seller after suspecting a swastika was deliberately hidden during a property inspection.
American couple Daniel and Lynn Rae Wentworth thought they had found their dream home when they bought a house in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in September 2023.
But after moving in, they uncovered a giant swastika and German eagle permanently tiled into the basement floor.
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It was only while cleaning up items the seller had left behind that they found the swastika, nearly 1.8m wide, hidden beneath a large rug.
“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,’” Lynn Rae Wentworth told CBS.
“I was just shocked, mortified,” Wentworth said.
The Wentworths claim the symbols were intentionally hidden and never disclosed during the home inspection or final walkthrough.
Their lawyer, Daniel Stoner, said it should never have happened.
“We believe this is something that should have been disclosed to them from the start, and they should have been given the option as to whether or not this is something they would want and to be in their home,” Stoner told CBS.
The seller, however, argued the design was a popular motif in the 1920s and claimed he had installed it in the 1970s.
His lawyer added the couple had full access to the home and could have lifted the rug themselves.
“The explanation that they gave, basically, is that the swastika is an ancient symbol that means many different things in many different cultures, and in most cultures, it’s a positive thing,” Stoner said.
The Wentworths are seeking US$30,000 ($46,000) to replace the flooring as part of their lawsuit.
The seller’s lawyer said: “It’s best to wait until the court decides.”
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