Corte di Cassazione issues rulings on water usage and insolvency compensation

The Italian Court of Cassation has issued two significant rulings addressing different legal matters.

In a case regarding anomalous water consumption, the Court (Ordinance no. 25858/2026) ruled on the evidentiary value of meter readings. A user contested a large bill, citing inconsistencies with household characteristics and historical usage. The Court clarified that in supply contracts, data from a meter does not constitute legal proof nor does it grant the invoice a privileged evidentiary status. Consequently, users retain the right to contest both the functionality of the meter and the attribution of the recorded consumption to their specific usage.

In a separate ruling (no. 20477/2026), the Court addressed the compensation of judicial commissioners in ‘concordato minore’ (minor composition with creditors) procedures. The Court determined that compensation should be calculated using criteria specific to the simplified procedure under Ministerial Decree no. 202/2014, rather than the rules applied to standard preventive composition. This distinction accounts for the simplified nature and different functions of the commissioner in these specific insolvency proceedings.