Overview
- The Court of Appeal of Milan convicted former union official Raffaele Meola and sentenced him to one year and two months in the second‑degree 'bis' trial concluded on July 10, 2026.
- Judges ordered a provisional compensation of €10,000 for the 49‑year‑old victim and will publish written motivations in about 90 days.
- The case began with a March 2018 complaint by hostess Barbara D’Astolto who said Meola abused her during a work meeting at Malpensa airport while she sought help for a labor dispute.
- In February 2025 the Corte di Cassazione annulled earlier acquittals and held that a delayed reaction by a victim is irrelevant to the legal definition of sexual violence, a ruling central to the appeal outcome.
- The victim said the long trial cost her her job and wellbeing and expressed relief at the verdict while the defense may appeal to the Cassation and a separate defamation proceeding linked to the case remains pending in Novara.