Italian Child Cannot Be Named Friday
Legal World
Friday's child is loving and giving — but not if he lives in Italy.
Italian judges forbade a couple from naming their son Friday, saying it would bring the child shame and ridicule to be named after the character in "Robinson Crusoe."
"They thought that it recalled the figure of a savage, thus creating a sense of inferiority and failing to guarantee the boy the necessary decorum," the couple's lawyer, Paola Rossi, said Wednesday.
Mara and Roberto Germano, whose son was born on Sept. 3, 2006, had the boy named and baptized Venerdi, Italian for Friday.
Even though the boy was not born on a Friday — it was Sunday — his parents liked the name, said Rossi.
"They wanted an unusual name, something original, and it did not seem like a shameful name," Rossi said in a telephone interview. "We think it calls to mind the day of the week rather than the novel's character."
Since City Hall officials are obliged by law to report odd names, the matter ended up before judges in Genoa, the northern Italian city where the couple live.
Last month, an appeals court stated that Friday falls into the category of the "ridiculous or shameful" names that are barred by law, because it recalled the native servant in Daniel Defoe's novel.
The judges wrote that naming somebody Friday would bar him from "serene interpersonal relationships" and would turn the boy into the "laughing stock of his group," according to a report in La Repubblica this week.
According to the daily, the judges also said that, as a day of the week, Friday raises a sentiment of sadness and penitence, when not being associated with bad luck outright.
Rossi said the court, which upheld a previous ruling in June, also ordered the boy to be named Gregorio after the saint on whose day he was born.
The couple are considering appealing the decision to Italy's highest court, she said.
Related listings
-
France Convicts 5 Ex-Guantanamo Inmates
Legal World 12/19/2007A court Wednesday convicted five former inmates from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of having links to terrorist groups, while acquitting a sixth man.The five were convicted of "criminal association with a terrorist enterprise," a broad cha...
-
Nigerian ex-governor on trial for graft: court
Legal World 12/18/2007The impeached former governor of Nigeria's south-west Ekiti state has been arraigned in court on corruption and money laundering charges, court officials said Tuesday.Fayose, who was arrested last week after turning himself in to the anti-graft agenc...
-
Thai cabinet lays out plan to transfer PTT pipelines
Legal World 12/18/2007Thailand's government Tuesday laid out its plan for the court-ordered transfer of energy giant PTT's 15-billion-baht (445-million-dollar) pipeline network back to the state.Under the arrangement, PTT will have to pay the state five percent of its rev...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.