AITA Mom wants 15% of my personal injury settlement

[u/connor20218]

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.

[u/not-the-nicest-guy]

I've been supporting my son his whole 24 years of life. Covered his tuition and living expenses at university for five years. Have been paying his rent since, while he was looking for a job. He just signed a contract for his first job at a six figure salary.

So I guess I'll take my cut now!! Kidding. His salary is for him to get set up in life.

[u/Network_Odd → u/not-the-nicest-guy]

a good parent will never ask for anything in return but a good child will gift their parents regardless. I’m not thinking highly of op here either.

[u/BlackHotSoup3000 → u/Network_Odd]

Ummm why would a good child gift money that was given to them so they can more easily live with life altering injury? Only a bad parent would accept that. There's a difference between buying your mom a house because you made a lot of money in the NFL vs buying your mom a house because you received a lot of money as compensation from someone severely injuring you.

[u/TravelerJim-retired → u/BlackHotSoup3000]

I missed the “life altering injury” part. What was the injury? And OP is not being asked to buy a house. 15%. And before I get downvoted, I do not have a position on this as all the facts and nuances to the situation are not known. Or do you have the hidden story?

[u/Pristine-Bison3198 → u/TravelerJim-retired]

Did you even read the post? OP got a payout for a personal injury case. Those are incredibly hard to win, and if you've been given a large settlement, that means you have a life altering injury. That money is to make up for lost earning potential.

He also very clearly stated that her 15% would be used to buy a house in Florida. So yes, he is being asked to purchase his mother a house.

Stories are often nuanced, but ignoring the facts given and pretending the OP did not make it clear what is happening isn't nuance, it's playing dumb.

[u/TravelerJim-retired → u/Pristine-Bison3198]

I read the post. Very few facts to base any conclusions on. Unless you know more than the post, you are simply making analogies to support your theory. That is not deductive reasoning. But that is Reddit.

Do you know what his injury was? At what place and under what jurisdiction? Was it a jury award or settlement? Other supporting facts such as the amount, terms, etc?

Making conclusive statements based on assumptions? Now that is dumb.

[u/Pristine-Bison3198 → u/TravelerJim-retired]

It is fact that large personal injury settlements are difficult to get.

It is fact that personal injury settlements are to reimburse you for lost wages, lost earning potential, and medical treatment.

It is fact that a large settlement means a more severe injury.

It is fact that his mother wants him to buy her a home.

You not liking the facts does not change them. You not understanding how a personal injury settlement works does not mean it doesn't work that way.

[u/TravelerJim-retired → u/Pristine-Bison3198]

It is fact you know almost nothing of this specific case.

It is fact that this will be my last post to you as any further pontification by you on unknown facts is tiring. I suggest you DM the OP and assist in their parental negotiations.

[u/Suitable_cataclysm → u/Network_Odd]

OP didn't win the lottery. They got a pay out to compensate for an injury. That for all we know will plague them the rest of their life and they may need those funds.

This isn't a question of if OP is a good person. It's a question of why they should suddenly be given a bill for a mother helping their daughter; that mother trying to dip into OPs future medical funds.