Tenants Sue Landlord and Win. Court Accidentally Hands Money to Landlord: 'Pure Madness'

A legal victory against their landlord has left a Sussex couple feeling defeated after the court mistakenly paid their £90,000 compensation to the person they were suing.

Gilly and Nigel Cutts high hopes for their 2015 purchase of a flat in a historic Georgia building washed away as the couple discovered the property's severe water damage issues. "Whenever it rained hard, water would just pour in through the ceiling," Mr. Cutts told BBC.

After successfully suing the building's owner, the Cutts anticipated some consolation. Instead, Brighton County Court sent the court-ordered payment to the defendant.

"To say we were speechless just doesn't cover it," said Mr. Cutts. His wife, Mrs. Cutts, called the situation "pure madness" and described sleepless nights endured over the ordeal.

Nine months later, the couple has yet to receive any compensation.

"A judge has ordered the defendant to return the funds and we have additionally referred them to the police for investigation," a spokesperson for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service said.

Unfortunately, the defendant has not responded to requests to return the £90,000 and attempts to make contact have failed.

"We won our case, so where's the money?" asked Mrs. Cutts.

"What they need to do is put right what's gone wrong," said Mr. Cutts.

While the court has apologized to the Cutts and assured that additional measures would be implemented to prevent similar errors, no offer to pay the couple back has been made.