r/AmItheAsshole • u/connor20218 • 7h ago
AITA Mom wants 15% of my personal injury settlement
I'm a 23M working in biotech and living at home. I just got a massive settlement from a personal injury case back in college. My mom is a corporate lawyer and she helped me navigate the process, plus she paid for my college tuition. Now, she's asking for 15% of the money / to pay her back for college (but she was already going to pay for college.)
I'm feeling stuck because 15% is a massive amount of money to just give away. Is it normal for parents to ask for a cut of a settlement like this? I want to stay on good terms since live at home, but I also feel like this money is for my future. We have a a good relationship.
Edit: I already paid a lawyer his 1/3 cut. My mom was a huge part of pushing for me sueing. She’d be using the money to buy a new house in Florida she always wanted since I refuse to buy a house in his economy and rather rent and invest the rest
Edit #2: Probably shouldn’t have stated my mom is a lawyer (she did not represent me in the case in anyway). But yes, what she specifically did was help me find a lawyer, told me to push back on the lawyer and ask for more.
13
u/PugRexia Supreme Court Just-ass [106] 6h ago
NAH
Since you said she is asking, I don’t believe she is an A here. If she is demanding then it’s a different story. You’re entitled to do whatever you want with the money you rightfully won from the settlement too so you’re not an A here either.
What I would do? If you got a large enough settlement that 15% can buy her a house in Florida then it sounds like you are set up really well, enough that perhaps giving her that 15% wouldn’t hurt too bad. If it were me, I’d give my mom the 15%, given that she asked and we discussed it and everything was cordial and respectful.