A Swiss court has delivered a major setback to John, Lapo and Ginevra Elkann in the long-running inheritance dispute surrounding the Agnelli family fortune. The court in Thun, in the canton of Bern, dismissed in full the claims brought by the three siblings against their mother, Margherita Agnelli, over the estate of Marella Caracciolo Agnelli, widow of industrialist Gianni Agnelli.

According to the Swiss judge, the Swiss courts do not have jurisdiction over Marella’s succession, accepting the argument put forward by Margherita’s legal team that Marella’s alleged Swiss residence in Lauenen, near Gstaad, was not genuine. As a result, the court did not examine the merits of the Elkann siblings’ claims, including the validity of Marella’s will, their status as heirs, and the exclusion of their mother from the inheritance. Those issues are now expected to be handled exclusively by the court in Turin.

The ruling also carries significant financial consequences. According to sources close to Margherita Agnelli’s lawyers, the Elkann siblings have been ordered to cover more than 1.7 million Swiss francs in court and legal costs. Their Italian lawyers have already announced an appeal before the Higher Court of Bern, arguing that the decision does not affect the validity of the 2004 inheritance and settlement agreements between Marella and Margherita. Even so, the Swiss ruling could have important implications for the civil and criminal proceedings still underway in Italy.