The ugly feud between AFL hero and Dancing With The Stars champion Anthony Koutoufides and the builder of his mansion has taken another bizarre turn.
It can be revealed that ‘Kouta’ publicly told the builder that the house was ‘beautiful’ just days before he allegedly failed to pay the final bill and change the locks.
Kouta, 50, and his wife Susie have been accused of failing to pay the final installment on their multi-million dollar business in the Melbourne suburb of Ivanhoe, amid a dispute with the builder over the completion date.
Documents provided to Ny Breaking Australia by Kouta’s legal team show that the former footballer’s family made it clear on October 17 that they intended to move into the house.
According to the construction company, the move came completely out of the blue.
And it has now emerged that Kouta had left a glowing review on the construction company’s Instagram page under a photo of the mansion a fortnight earlier, on October 1.
Anthony and Susie Koutoufides are embroiled in a bitter dispute with the builder of their mansion
The completed Kouta mansion in leafy Ivanhoe
“Looking beautiful,” the ex-AFL star wrote, accompanied by a “fire” emoji.
The comment was appreciated by the family business, which had been working on the building for more than two years. (Ny Breaking Australia doesn’t suggest Kouta’s comment takes anything away from his subsequent issues with the builder.)
By the time the firm’s attorney responded to the letter eight days later, Kouta had already changed the locks and moved his family in.
‘What is particularly disappointing for them is that there was nothing in the history of their relationship with Mr and Mrs Koutoufides that could even remotely justify this. It came, to quote my instructor, “out of nowhere,” the builder’s lawyer wrote at the time.
At the time, Kouta appeared to object to the final payment due on the $129,910 home, offering to pay $13,950 less due to “liquidated damages” caused by a 31-week delay in the home’s completion date.
On October 1 – just days before he and his wife allegedly defaulted on his final bill and changed the locks on the mansion – Kouta left a glowing review on the builder’s Instagram page beneath a photo of the mansion ( photo)
“Due to (the builder) failing to meet the required completion date, the owner is in an extremely precarious position as she has overextended her lease and now must vacate her rented premises together with her family by 12 noon on September 19.” October 2023,” the builder was advised.
Kouta’s legal team – Melbourne lawyers Olivia Terziovski and Imran Fatah – claimed the couple had not had the opportunity to carry out the final inspection ‘due to the manner in which the builder attended to the completion process’.
Three months later, Kouta and his wife Susie, who is listed as the owner of the property, have not paid a cent of the final bill because the house is riddled with defects.
On Wednesday, Kouta responded to the builder’s accusations, claiming he and his wife were victims of a vicious trolling campaign.
AFL legend Anthony ‘Kouta’ Koutoufides and his wife Susie are accused of refusing to make the final payment on their multi-million dollar property
Susie and Kouta in 2003
Mr Fatah said the trolling was as bad as the Koutoufides are now in the process of gathering material to make a complaint to Victoria Police about ‘threatening trading behaviour’.
“They are awaiting the reports of the independent experts so that they can consider their options regarding litigation and are also considering defamation actions,” he said.
The couple claims the employee sent an email to some of the builder’s subcontractors with their contact details.
A report by Ny Breaking Australia called the Koutoufides ‘sons of bitches’.
“Please help us win this battle, not only for ourselves, but for you and all other contractors who are owed money,” the employee wrote.
Mr Fatah claimed the emails had resulted in a “vicious campaign” against Koutoufides and his wife.
Kouta was crowned Dancing With The Stars champion alongside Natalie Lowe in 2006
Kouta and Susie have been an AFL power couple
The Koutoufides claim their contract with the builder was terminated by them when they refused to accept their lower payment in October.
‘Should (the builder) fail to provide confirmation of acceptance before 4:00 p.m. on an equal date, our client will regard this as evidence of (the builder’s) intention to no longer be bound to the terms of the construction contract and may choose to accept conduct such as repudiating the construction contract,” their lawyer told the builder at the time.
The builder declined to comment to Ny Breaking Australia.
Kouta was an AFL powerhouse in the 1990s and early 2000s, playing 278 games for Carlton, including a premiership-winning season in 1995.
He subsequently became a reality TV star with roles such as ‘Kouta the Greek God’ in the Seven Network’s revival of Gladiators in 2008 and twice on Dancing With The Stars, where he was crowned champion in 2006.