Alain Delon never acknowledged the son his mother raised, and French courts ruled the claim too late after both men died

In August 1962 the German singer Nico gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron, near Paris and named Alain Delon as the father. Delon admitted a relationship with her but never acknowledged the boy and never took a DNA test. Delon's own mother, Édith, and her second husband, Paul Boulogne, raised the child. He took the Boulogne surname and was known as Ari. Ari sued for recognition in 2001 and again in 2019. He filed the second suit in Orléans because Delon kept a house at Douchy in the Loiret. On 27 August 2020 the Orléans court ruled it had no jurisdiction because Delon had lived in Switzerland since 1984, and the appeal court agreed in September 2021. Ari was found dead in his Paris flat on 20 May 2023, aged 60. In 2024 the Cour de cassation ruled that Ari's French nationality gave French courts jurisdiction. Delon died on 18 August 2024 and was buried at Douchy. Ari's son Charles took up the claim. On 25 September 2025 the Poitiers Court of Appeal ruled it time-barred under France's 10-year limit, with no further appeal in France. His three acknowledged children opposed Charles, and are suing each other. Alain-Fabien Delon has asked a Paris court to annul a Swiss-law will of 24 November 2022 that gives Anouchka the moral rights to the work, and a 2023 gift to her of 51% of the company holding his image rights. The first hearing was set for 9 March 2026.