The Civil Court of Vicenza rejects parents’ claim at the end of a civil trial over the 28-year-old singer’s death in 2021

No compensation will be awarded to the family of Michele Merlo, the young singer-songwriter from Rosà, near Vicenza, who rose to fame on the Italian TV talent show Amici and died in 2021 at the age of 28 from acute leukemia.

The decision was handed down by the Vicenza Civil Court, which rejected the claim filed by Merlo’s parents at the conclusion of a civil trial. The family, represented by attorney Marco Dal Ben, had brought the case against Merlo’s family doctor, the ULSS 7 Pedemontana local health authority and the insurance companies involved.

In its ruling, the court said expert witnesses had determined that “Michele Merlo’s death was not causally linked to the delay in reaching the correct diagnosis,” which had only a limited impact on the course of his illness.

A court-appointed medical assessment had concluded that his death was unavoidable. Before the civil case began, the local health authority had made a settlement offer, but the family rejected it.

In a separate criminal investigation into the 28-year-old’s death, the case had previously been dismissed.