The topic of personal-injury compensation in Italy went through months of deep uncertainty, finally resolved by the Joint Divisions of the Court of Cassation.
The National Unified Table: what it is and why it matters
The National Unified Table (TUN), introduced by Presidential Decree of 13 January 2025, No. 12, and operative from 5 March 2025, sets uniform compensation values across the entire national territory for personal injury resulting from disability of 10% or more.
For nearly two decades, in the absence of a unified table, judges had relied on the tables drawn up by the Court of Milan, which had become the de facto benchmark. However, the adoption of the TUN raised a question: does it also apply to accidents that occurred before its entry into force?
Chaos in the courts
Two opposing camps formed. The Court of Perugia (judgment 424/2025) applied the TUN retroactively, while the Court of Ascoli Piceno (judgment 147/2025) categorically excluded it. The difference between the two tables could exceed EUR 20,000.
The Joint Divisions' ruling
With judgment No. 5889/2026 of 15 March 2026, the Joint Divisions definitively settled the dispute, holding that the TUN may be used as a benchmark even for accidents that occurred before its entry into force, applying the principle of uniformity of judgment.
Terminal and catastrophic damage
The Court of Cassation, in order No. 468/2026, further held that even a few moments of agony may give rise to a compensation claim transferable to the heirs, distinguishing physical suffering from the conscious fear of dying and moving beyond the old automatic thresholds based on the 24-hour rule.
Sources: La Legge per Tutti, La Legge per Tutti, Il Sole 24 Ore