Two Italian men have been ordered by a civil court in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, to pay over €1 million in compensation to the parents of a student who tragically died in Majorca while trying to escape a rape attempt. The ruling, issued on May 20 after a 15-year legal battle, mandates Alessandro Albertoni and Luca Vanneschi to pay specific amounts to Martina Rossi’s parents for their daughter’s death at a hotel in Palma.
Martina, aged 20, fell from the sixth floor of a hotel in a coastal resort in Palma on August 3, 2011, while fleeing an attempted sexual assault by the two men. Initially considered a suicide by Spanish authorities, the case was reopened in Italy at the request of Martina’s parents four years later. This led to a reexamination of the incident, resulting in the men being convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for attempted group sexual assault.
Although the criminal charge related to Martina’s death had expired under Italy’s statute of limitations, the civil court found the men responsible using the legal standard of “more likely than not.” Martina’s father, Bruno Rossi, expressed satisfaction with the civil ruling and stated that all compensation received would be donated to a foundation supporting women affected by violence. Despite the judgment being immediately enforceable, the men’s lawyers could potentially appeal and seek suspension of the payment order.
