In “Billy Madison,” Adam Sandler’s character tries to steal milk for him and his teacher, claiming it could be “our milk.” A real estate agent who essentially took a cue from the movie received a punishment harsher than any detention.
Canadian real estate agent Mike Rose was fined 20,000 Canadian dollars — slightly more than $15,000 USD — for actions “unbecoming” under the British Columbia Real Estate Services Act, the Washington Post reported. He was also fined nearly $2,000 in enforcement expenses.
The saga dates back more than a year to last July. Rose was tasked with showing a home in the city of Kamloops, owned by the Fullerton family. Rose tacked on a second showing, leading Lyska Fullerton to take a peek at a Ring camera installed in the home.
Footage from the camera showed Rose entering the home a half-hour before the second showing. After walking into the kitchen and opening the blinds, he opened the fridge, proceeded to grab a carton of milk and took a swig. Then, he put it back and went about his day.
“Every part of it was just such an invasion of privacy and such an invasion of our home,” Fullerton said to the publication. Compounding matters, both her and her husband’s parents were killed by Covid.
Two days later, Fullerton confronted Rose when the prospective buyers returned, reporting him after he acknowledged the milk incident.
In an agency report, Rose cited unusual dehydration attributed to a new medication and mentioned “considerable stress.” In a statement to a local outlet, he apologized profusely for what he called a “very unfortunate, and very uncharacteristic, decision.”
The agency that penalized Rose did so because his actions were “unbecoming” and brought “the real estate industry into disrepute.” Sadly, the Fullertons were also forced to dump out the rest of the milk.
No tears were spilled over the home sale, though. The prospective buyers that toured the home after the milk incident ultimately bought the house, allowing the Fullertons to escape the sour milk saga the same month it happened.
Frankly, the Fullertons could be considered lucky that certain other agents weren’t selling the home.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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