The Haunted House That New York Courts Declared Legally Haunted: Stambovsky v. Ackley Case Explained

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This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post.

I share them weekly, and you can get in on the fun by liking my page at Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg and following me at Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg! Now onto the haunting story!

DID YOU KNOW there's a house in New York that’s legally haunted?

In 1989, Jeffrey Stambovsky bought a Victorian home in Nyack, NY for $650,000. He didn’t know the seller, Helen Ackley, had spent 10 years telling Reader’s Digest and the local paper that her house had ghosts.

Ackley claimed the ghosts left gifts, shook beds, and woke her grandkids. She even included them in the home’s listing as a selling point... until she sold to someone out of state.

When Stambovsky found out, he tried to back out. The case went to the NY Supreme Court.

In 1991, the judge ruled: “As a matter of law, the house is haunted.”

Why? Because Ackley had "created the reputation" herself and profited from it nationally. The court said she couldn’t then deny it to an out-of-state buyer. Stambovsky got his deposit back.

The ruling is called Stambovsky v. Ackley, and it’s still the law. It’s known as the “Ghostbusters Ruling” because the judge opened with: “Plaintiff has not alleged that the house sits over a portal to hell.”

The house at 1 LaVeta Place still stands. And yes, legally, it’s haunted.

Would you live in a house a judge declared haunted? 

Share this post with someone who’d buy it anyway!

A very special thank you to the Slightly Odd Society members!

Ruth Dempsey

SpookyTooth

JP

Corey

They got this post DAYS ago with their Society First Membership, and so can you!


Location: 1 Laveta Pl, Nyack, NY 10960, USA

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