A 30-year-old man in New York state said that he moved out of his parents’ home Friday, 10 days after a judge ordered him to pack his bags.
In a brief phone interview with CNN, Michael Rotondo said he left the house because “I had to be out by today.” He declined to answer further questions.
Rotondo was shown moving plastic garbage bags into a vehicle in video published by CNN affiliate WSTM. He told the Syracuse TV station he was moving into an Airbnb and had “more or less” said goodbye to his mother and father.
Then he climbed into a station wagon, honked and drove away.
This type of family drama usually doesn’t make the news, but Rotondo’s parents took the unusual step of filing a lawsuit against their son to get him out of their house, where he’d been living for eight years.
Christina and Mark Rotondo of Camillus started the court proceedings this month and filed evidence of five toughly worded notices they served their son, starting in February.
A February 2 note read: “After a discussion with your Mother, we have decided you must leave this house immediately. You have 14 days to vacate. You will not be allowed to return. We will take whatever actions are necessary to enforce this decision.”
In other notes, they offered $1,100 to help their son find a new place to live and said they’d help repair his broken-down vehicle, which was parked on their property.
But Michael Rotondo did not heed their deadlines, and his parents filed for an ejectment proceeding.
He asked the judge to dismiss the legal action, claiming that for eight years he “has never been expected to contribute to household expenses, or assisted with chores and the maintenance of the premises, and claims that this is simply a component of his living agreement,” according to filings obtained by WSTM.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Donald Greenwood disagreed and on May 22 granted the eviction notice, with a move-out deadline of Friday.
Rotondo’s parents haven’t said much to the media. Rotondo told CNN’s sister network HLN he did not know why his parents have pushed for him to leave so quickly.
He told WSTM that he previously had a job and and his own apartment in Syracuse, but when he lost his job he had to move in with his parents.
