A Canadian court in Ontario has ruled that diplomatic immunity doesn’t apply when it comes to refusing to pay rent.
US Embassy employee Betsy Zouroudis was ordered to pay thousands of dollars in overdue rent and legal expenses by the Ontario Superior Court after the American claimed she didn’t have to pay rent to property owner Rolf Baumann due to “diplomatic immunity.”
However, Justice Rohan Bansie ruled that Zouroudis’ diplomatic status does not exempt her from paying rent, as the action is part of a commercial transaction.
“The underlying activity, being the landlord and tenant relationship between the parties was a commercial activity,” he wrote.
Baumann, of course, was relieved that Zouroudis’ claim of immunity was false, especially concerning renting out to diplomats.
“It would mean that nobody who ever has a contract with an embassy or a diplomat could ever rely on getting paid,” he told CBC News on Friday.
Baumann is seeking to have the amount owed deducted from the American diplomat’s wages.
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