Scott Naso, a widowed father, couldn't hold back his tears as a contentious battle with his deceased wife's parents culminated in a legal win just one day before the two-year anniversary of her death. On Thursday, a Rhode Island Family Court judge denied their petition for visitation rights with his 4-year-old daughter.
"I'm very emotional and am just trying to keep it together here," Scott said as he hugged members of his legal team and friends who attended the hearing in the Kent County Courthouse. "He [Judge Felix Gill] respected my fundamental parental rights to protect my daughter."
Gill's decision came after Scott's lawyer requested to suspend the trial on the grounds that the grandparents had not met the state statute requiring them to prove Scott's decision to keep them from seeing Laila was unreasonable.
"It's been a roller coaster, but the [correct] decision was made, and now Scott gets to spend time with his daughter and the bleeding gets to stop—to some extent," Veronica Assalone told PEOPLE, referencing the fact that Scott has amassed over $500,000 in legal fees and other expenses since the trial began in October 2025.
Michael Ahn, who advised his clients not to speak with the media, could not be reached for comment after Thursday's decision. When asked if she believes Ahn will appeal the court's ruling, Assalone said she does. A court spokesperson told PEOPLE that Gill would not be commenting on the case.
Scott's wife, Shahrzad "Sherry" Naso, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, just a year after she and Scott met. The couple married in September 2020 and welcomed Laila via a surrogate the following year. Sherry's cancer later returned and she died in April 2024.
In January 2025, Scott lodged a complaint against her parents, both doctors, with the Rhode Island Department of Health accusing them of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now formally known as factitious disorder imposed on another) against both Sherry and Laila. Scott blames his late wife's parents for her death, claiming in the complaint that they gave medical advice that interfered with Sherry's treatment and masked her symptoms when her cancer returned. He also claims that his wife's father wrote more than 36 prescriptions for Laila before she turned 3.
Siavash Ghoreishi, a pediatrician in private practice, and Jila Khorsand, a pathologist with a large medical group, both relinquished their medical licenses shortly after their daughter's death and have disputed Scott's claims. In court, the judge addressed a recording of Scott discussing his in-laws. A family friend of Sherry's and her parents secretly created the video and shared it with the grandparents, who then used it to support their case.
Speaking in court, the judge called the recording a "fatal flaw" in the case. "This recording corroborates his fear; his distrust of grandparents. It was done not by them, but by someone close to them," Gill said, calling it "an overstep" and "an invasion of privacy."
Although the trial may have gone in Scott's favor, Gill was highly critical of the Middletown narcotic detective's actions and questioned his motivation. "The court is convinced on the cumulation of evidence thus far—including hearing from all parties—that it is in Laila's best interest to visit with her grandparents," Gill said in court while explaining his decision to dismiss the case. "[But] I have to give deference to a fit and proper custodial parent to refuse visitation. Parties have all agreed that he is fit and proper."
Gill said more than once that Scott put his own interests above his daughter's, something Scott vehemently denied following the hearing. "I put my daughter's best interest above my own every time," he says. "I've essentially bankrupted myself and ourselves to fight for her."
The judge ruled that each party is responsible for their own legal fees and held Scott in contempt of court for stopping Family Court-ordered visitation rights with the grandparents in January 2025 without using proper legal channels. The temporary supervised visitation (for one hour every other week) began in September 2024. Scott was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine due within 30 days.
"He's entitled to his ruling, but I did what was best for my daughter," Scott says. "I respectfully think that was the wrong decision," Assalone adds, saying that she believes Scott's in-laws should pay his legal fees. "I will be discussing with my client whether or not we will seek an appeal."
When asked if he can see a future involving his in-laws in his and Laila's life, Scott says that "at this juncture, I do not think so." "In order for that to happen, they would need to take accountability for their actions," he says.
Scott says he is happy the trial is over and plans to spend the rest of the afternoon at the park with his daughter. "Just something simple," he says. "That's all I want to do is something simple." On Friday, he says he will be visiting Sherry's grave on the two-year anniversary of her death and thanking her "for guiding us and me and for … giving me the strength to get through these last two years."
"And I'm praying for the strength to continue this fight because, like I said, this fight is far from over," he adds. "I can't tell you how much I miss her and how much I love her."
