Update: Lawyer mom demands 15% of her 23-year-old son’s lawsuit settlement money

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 11, 2026 11:15 AM EDT

At 23, how much do you owe your Mom?

Have you ever met one of those parents who try to get their kids to pay them back for their childhood expenses? These parents are just the worst. They'll ask their 18-year-old to pay them back for, like, the food they ate for their entire childhood. It's pretty ridiculous, and as you can imagine, this ruins the relationship between parent and child. 

In this person's case, their Mom isn't directly requesting to be paid back for his childhood expenses. But, at 23, this guy is still living with Mom. That's increasingly common these days. Younger folks simply cannot afford to live, well, anywhere, and as this guy states, he's saving up. "I refuse to buy a house in this economy," he explains. 

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  • Lawyer smiles, knowing she's won her client a large settlement.
    via Getty Images

    Lawyer smiles, knowing she's won her client a large settlement.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Mom has also cared for him for quite a while as he was navigating an injury that he got during his college years. Mom was ready for this one! As a lawyer herself, she can give her son some great advice. And happily, he won a settlement in his lawsuit, which he thinks is going to be quite substantial. 

    But now, she’s also requesting that her son pay up 15%. And no one can agree on whether or not she should be paying that or not! 

  • 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
    via connor20218
  • 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
    via connor20218
  • 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
    via connor20218
  • Lawyer Mom looks at her son with confusion.
    via Curated Lifestyle

    Lawyer Mom looks at her son with confusion.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 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.
    via connor20218
  • 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
    via connor20218
  • wanted since I refuse to buy a house in his economy and rather rent and invest the rest
    via connor20218
  • Attorneys discuss their client's case.
    via Getty Images

    Attorneys discuss their client's case.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 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
    via connor20218
  • lawyer, told me to push back on the lawyer and ask for more.
    via connor20218
  • 1. I had a personal injury, my mom wants a 15% cut for helping me go through the paperwork ect
    via connor20218
  • 2)My mother paid my college in full and raised. me. I have a great relationship with her. Do I owe her the money to pay back college if she agreed to in the first place
    via connor20218

  • So, the son left out a few things from the original, now-deleted post, and added them here, and I think they’re really important to the story! 

    This is where he revealed that she’s trying to buy a new home (and I wonder if she’s unintentionally quietly hinting that he move out, or if she really does just want to move to a different state). 

    It’s tough, too, because this guy doesn’t seem especially keen to share with Mom, and yet she’s done a lot for him. She cared for him when he was sick, paid for college, encouraged him to pursue a lawsuit and gave him advice, and again, he is still living with her throughout all this. 

  • Squicky4ever If 15% is a massive amount, that means 85% is a massive b load. You live with the woman who helped you through this. To me, sounds like sharing is the classy thing to do. it
    via Squicky4ever
  • RedactsAttract You're reading too many stories on here that are not relevant to your situation. You're feeling stuck. Ok, this is the first lesson in your adult life where feelings don't matter. You have 85% left from a financial windfall
    via RedactsAttract
  • you didn't have the skills to get AND no college debt which you didn't have the skills to get. Pay it and thank your mom
    via RedactsAttract
  • smilingseaslug (actual lawyer) INFO: what are your anticipated expenses and lost income due to this injury, and is this settlement expected to cover all of those? Does any portion of the settlement represent costs covered by
    via smilingseaslug
  • your mom or pain/suffering? Because a lot of comments here seem to not understand how this works. Usually settlements are only massive if you have equally massive care costs or lost income. They aren't there to buy other people a house.
    via smilingseaslug
  • Make sure those costs are covered before giving your mom any $. If I helped my child through a legal process like that it would be for free, just to make sure they were taken care of.
    via smilingseaslug
  • ClassicGMR This one feels like a no- brainer. Most people complain about their parents gold bricking or mooching when they deserve nothing - Just wanting your money for no reason other than "you have it".
    via ClassicGMR
  • Your mother was willing to put you through college and helped you with the settlement case. I think YTA.
    via ClassicGMR
  • pnw_kid I can't believe the comments here. NTA. If you've been awarded a massive settlement it's because you've been massively injured. That money is to support you for the rest of your life because of your impairment from the injury. It
    via pnw_kid
  • is not for buying your mom a vacation home. This is not remotely the same as winning the lottery or getting a big inheritance from a relative. You will have lifelong medical needs and an impaired ability to earn income that this is supposed to make up for.
    via pnw_kid

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