Moth mansion owner hits back claiming infestation has been ‘blown out of proportion’

William Woodward-Fisher says allegation by oligarch’s daughter, who is suing him for ‘fraudulent misrepresentation’, is exaggerated

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The former owner of a Notting Hill £36 million mansion has labelled allegations that it is infested with “millions of moths” as an extreme overreaction.
Iya Patarkatsishvili and her husband Dr Yevhen Hunyak paid £32.5 million for the Victorian mansion in Notting Hill, only to allegedly discover a “moth infestation of extreme proportions”.
The pair have claimed they were never told about the “millions of moths” nesting behind the walls and ceilings of Horbury Villa when they bought the property in 2019.
William Woodward-Fisher, a high-end property developer and former champion rower for Great Britain, denied all the claims made against him – and has now alleged that the couple have exaggerated the infestation as like being in an “insect house in a zoo”.
Jonathan Seitler KC, his barrister, told Mr Justice Fancourt, the judge, that experiences of moths vary from one person to another, with some people not even noticing them.
“It is possible when reading some of the evidence in this case to imagine being inside the property like being in an insect house at a zoo,” Mr Seitler KC said.
“As Mr and Mrs Woodward-Fisher between them demonstrate, any given level of moth presence can bother one person whilst not bothering, or even being noticeable to, another.
“Further, the position can change over time.”
Ms Patarkatsishvili, the daughter of Badri Patarkatsishvili, the late Georgian oligarch, is suing Mr Woodward-Fisher for £36 million in the High Court over claims of “fraudulent misrepresentation” or negligence in failing to disclose problems with moths leading up to the sale.
But Mr Woodward-Fisher’s lawyer has said the couple’s £9.6 million valuation to remedy the problem was overblown and that the retired rower had been honest when dealing with the enquiry about possible previous “vermin infestation”.
He also argued there is a lack of photos demonstrating the extent of their claims, arguing that the photos meant to illustrate a “medium-high level infestation” only show grains – said to be moth eggs – which are “unnoticeable to the untrained eye”.
“Other statements say that there is a ‘high-level infestation’ and attach over 70 photos which between them show only one or two live moths in the property,” Mr Seitler added.
When cross-examining Dr Andrew Whittington, a moth expert who gave evidence for the couple, Mr Woodward-Fisher’s barrister suggested that the moths in the mansion were a “base level” of moths seen in older London houses.
Dr Whittington said while moth numbers are rising as people move away from synthetic fabrics, the normal level can fluctuate from year to year and that, from Dr Hunyak’s evidence, it appeared the problem “persists”.
John McGhee KC, representing Ms Patarkatsishvili and her husband, said Dr Hunyak has ended up having to swat around 100 moths a day to stay on top of the problem.
Mr Woodward-Fisher and his wife, Kerry, bought the site in 2011.
It was extended and remodelled to about 11,000 square feet before it was sold to the couple in 2019.
Horbury Villa boasts a pool and spa, gym, wine room, library and cinema, and also a “snoring room” – designed to guarantee its residents a peaceful night’s sleep.
Dr Hunyak is a paediatric dentist who practises in Chelsea, while his wife is the daughter of Badri Patarkatsishvili, who died in 2008.
Ms Patarkatsishvili and Dr Hunyak want the return of their £32.5 million purchase money, plus compensation for other losses, including £50,000 for moth-shredded clothes and over £3.7 million they paid in stamp duty.
The couple claim that it would cost around £9.6 million to rip out the moth infestation source in the embedded wool insulation, but Mr Woodward-Fisher says that estimate is “fantastically high” and is closer to £162,652.
Challenging the compensation claim, Mr Seitler said his client “can’t afford to re-purchase the property” and also alleged that the couple had “neglected” the house.
The trial continues.