Family Feud: Mother Triumphs in Legal Battle to Remove Adult Sons in their 40s
Boundaries of love: Court rules in favor of 75-year-old mother evicting her 40 and 42-year-old sons from her home in Pavia, Italy
In the northern Italian city of Pavia, a court clerk revealed that a 75-year-old woman successfully obtained a court order to have her two sons, aged 40 and 42, evicted from her house. According to the complaint filed by the woman, her sons, whom she referred to as "parasites," had been residing in the family apartment without contributing financially or assisting with household chores. The court documents confirm that both men are gainfully employed.
Judge Simona Caterbi ruled in favor of the retired mother, who is separated from the father of the two adults referred to as "bamboccioni," or big babies. The mother's entire pension is used for food and home maintenance. According to the court ruling seen by CNN on Tuesday, the two individuals have until December 18 to vacate the premises. Caterbi stated that the legislation does not grant the adult child the automatic right to stay in the parents' home against their will solely based on the family bond.
According to local newspaper La Provincia Pavese, the men who hired lawyers to oppose the maternal eviction contended that Italian law mandates parents to provide care for their children for as long as needed. In her ruling, Caterbi referenced the current law and concurred that the initial validity of remaining in the property could be acknowledged due to the parental obligation to provide maintenance.
The judge concluded that it is no longer reasonable for the parents to be expected to continue providing financial support for the child, since both defendants are over the age of 40 and there comes a point where the child's expectations need to be adjusted accordingly.
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A lawyer for the men told local media that the men had not decided if they would appeal the court decision.
This is not the first occasion that "mammoni," an Italian phrase describing adult males excessively reliant on their mothers, has emerged in legal proceedings.
In 2020, Italy's Supreme Court delivered a verdict against a 35-year-old man employed as a part-time music educator, who persisted in seeking financial assistance from his parents even though he claimed his annual salary of 20,000 euros ($21,100) was insufficient for self-support.
According to Eurostat 2022 data, Italians typically leave their parental home at the age of 30, making them the average age in the European Union. Croatia, on the other hand, has the highest average age of 33.4 years. In contrast, individuals in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark begin living independently at the average age of 21, as per the same data.
