The 30-year-old millennial who is getting evicted by his parents explains why he's too busy for a career
- 30-year-old Michael Rotondo was ordered by a judge to vacate his parents' home, but the underemployed man says he needs more time.
- Rotondo told Business Insider that he was prioritizing his parenthood over his career.
- Rotondo, who lost visitation rights to his child, had previously performed "unskilled labor" and was reportedly fired from Best Buy.
On Tuesday, a judge ordered a 30-year-old man to leave his parents' home, where he has been living for the last eight years.
Rotondo argued in court that he needed more time to move out so he could get settled financially.
Rotondo told Business Insider that he became a father shortly after he moved in with his parents and that parenthood was at least partly responsible for him still living with his own parents.
He said that having a career was a secondary priority to being a father.
"I've been a father for the past few years. That's what I've been doing. I really haven't been pursuing a career," Rotondo told Business Insider.
He added that he had been "working, here and there, doing things, but mostly being a father."
Rotondo has never lived with his child but says he saw his child regularly.
He told Business Insider that he was pursuing a career only passively because "I saw my child frequently enough where I became a significant component of my child's life."
Rotondo said, however, that he recently lost his visitation rights, and as a result, "my parents have been trying to coerce me away. They stopped feeding me." According to Rotondo, the notice to vacate was "a retaliatory action" for losing his visitation rights.
"I was an excellent father," Rotondo told Business Insider, noting that he would forego buying clothes for himself so he could take his child skiing. Rotondo also mentioned taking his child fishing. "I was a great father, and [the child] needed me in their life," he said.
"That's why I'm not the CEO of a big company," Rotondo said about his responsibility as a parent. "That's why I'm living with my parents still."
Syracuse.com reported that after the ruling Rotondo mentioned a business he had to support himself, but he refused to go into detail, saying "my business is my business." He also refused to discuss his work history with Business Insider besides saying he had done "unskilled labor" in the past, but not "physical labor." He also noted that he did not have a college degree.
The Daily Mail reported that Rotondo filed a discrimination lawsuit against Best Buy last year, arguing that he was fired for being unable to work on Sundays because of his court visitation schedule.
Rotondo's parents sent their son several letters asking him to move out before meeting in court. In a letter dated February 18, Rotondo's parents offered him $1,100 in cash to help him find a place to stay.
The letter also came with some advice: "There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you. Get one."