Recently, the Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) ruled on a complex case of joint inheritance, providing important clarification on the legitimacy of legal action by individual heirs. The case began with the death of one of two business partners. The surviving partner, without involving the deceased partner’s heirs, registered all the company assets in […]
Tag: Italy’s Supreme Court
Paternity test ruled admissible, despite alleged father being deceased
The case in question involves a relationship between a wealthy man and his secretary and director of domestic staff, which resulted in a daughter being born but never recognized as the man’s child. In 1953 the man died and shortly thereafter his only heir passed away aswell. The gap between deaths was in fact so […]
Adverse possession of jointly-owned properties by family members
All these questions were addressed in a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Italy (Court of Cassation). The court reaffirmed that use of a property over a long period can add legitimacy to a claim of ownership. However, as will be seen in this case, adverse possession can’t be used to dispossess co-owners […]
Italy’s Supreme Court vs. US Supreme Court
Italy’s Court of Cassation and the Supreme Court of the United States: How do these highest courts in the land match up? On the most fundamental level, the differences that exist between the highest courts of Italy and the United States reflect their respective legal systems; Italy based on a civil law system and the […]