An American Victory in an Italian Court

A nine-year international court battle has ended in victory for a Pennsylvania woman and her disabled son against the boy's country-hopping father, a citizen of Italy. The Corte d'Appello di Roma, an Italian civil court in Rome, instructed the father to honor a child support order issued by the State of Pennsylvania in April 1998, thanks to an Italian attorney's persistence. Marcello Bergonzi Perrone of Voghera, Italy, a silent hero, donated his time to the case and persevered in the Italian court system on behalf of a child who needed him.

Because neither Pennsylvania nor the United States has a reciprocity agreement with Italy, it took an extremely long time to obtain a decision. Contributing to the delay was the father's evasiveness by moving from Italy, to England, to the Philippines, back to England, and ending in his home country of Italy. Currently, families in such situations have little recourse, and most states will not issue orders if the absent parent lives abroad. Neither the United Nations nor the Hague Convention has provided relief to these families, although both organizations have discussed the issue. You have to wonder why something so necessary has to be discussed. What could they have to work out? A child needs support, it is that simple.

Adding to the pressure are the severe health problems of the child. He has been unable to attend school for the last two years, thus preventing his mother from working. The father has not been in touch with them since 2001, which is also when the child received his last support check. That did not stop Attorney Bergonzi Perrone from securing justice, though. Even when things seemed hopeless, he had confidence that they would prevail. His strength and beliefs never waived during the nine years of battles.