The court hearing on the request to close the criminal investigation into the Casamicciola Terme landslide has been postponed to December 18, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
The closed-chamber hearing had initially been scheduled for November 17, 2026. According to reporting by Il Golfo 24 and Il Dispari Quotidiano, the postponement is linked to the absence of the judge assigned to the case, Rosaria Dello Stritto. The postponement is expected to be formally ordered by the duty judge on November 17.
The hearing will address the dismissal request filed by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office and the objections filed by relatives of the victims and other injured parties.
The case behind the hearing
The investigation concerns the landslide and flood that struck Casamicciola Terme, on the island of Ischia, on November 26, 2022. Twelve people died.
Fourteen people are under investigation on suspicion of manslaughter and culpable disaster. ANSA also reports the suspected offense of culpably causing a landslide or flooding.
The December hearing will not be a trial and will not establish criminal responsibility. The judge will have to decide whether to accept the prosecution's request to close the case or to order further investigation.
A second dismissal request
According to ANSA, the request now before the judge is the second dismissal request submitted by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office in this investigation.
The objections to dismissal were also filed by SIGEA-APS, which argued that the prosecution's request should not be accepted. The December 18 hearing will therefore weigh the prosecution's position against the objections presented by the victims' families and other opposing parties.
What to watch on December 18
The central question is whether the investigation into the 2022 disaster will be closed or continue.
No decision has yet been made, and the available reporting does not disclose the full text of the postponement order or the complete schedule for any further filings by the parties. The outcome on December 18 will determine the next procedural step, but it will not itself amount to a finding on the responsibility of the fourteen people under investigation.
For residents of Casamicciola Terme and Ischia, the date matters because the criminal case remains the judicial follow-up to a disaster that caused twelve deaths. Families of the victims and other injured parties have opposed closing the case, and their objections will be central to the judge's assessment.
