Man evicted by parents meets court deadline
30-year-old son failed to gain an extra six months to live in family home
CAMILLUS, N.Y.— The 30-year-old man whose eviction from his parents’ suburban home drew national attention finally left Friday, hours before a court-ordered deadline, with financial help from right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Michael Rotondo honked and waved to reporters as he pulled out of the driveway of his parents’ split-level ranch in Camillus, N.Y., two and a half hours before the noon deadline set by a judge last week.
He said his parents had said goodbye, “more or less,” and got his rumbling station wagon running after some false starts, according to the Post-Standard of Syracuse. Rotondo had avoided TV crews staked out on the upstate New York road earlier Friday morning by leaving from the back, but returned around 9:30 a.m. in the passenger seat of a pickup truck.
He loaded a cooler and garbage bags full of items into the truck then dealt with the station wagon, which has a broken coolant system, according to the newspaper.
“I gotta get going before that thing blows up,” he said.
Mark and Christina Rotondo brought the court case against their son after several eviction letters offering money and other help were ignored. They offered him $1,100 (U.S.) “so you can find a place to stay” and nudged him to get a job.
“There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you,” one letter they sent him reads. “Get one — you have to work!”
A May 22 court appearance drew national attention. Rotondo refused the judge’s request to work things out directly with his parents, who sat quietly nearby.
He failed to persuade the judge to grant him another six months to live in his parents’ house.