14 DAY TRIAL // An 18-year-old New Jersey student has decided to sue her parents over college tuition. Rachel Canning, a senior at Morris Catholic High School, says she was abandoned by her parents the day she turned 18.
The student, who is also an athlete and a cheerleader, has decided to sue her parents for school money after allegedly being kicked out of their home. She says her parents stopped paying for her private high school, where she excelled as a lacrosse player and honor student.
In the lawsuit filed against her parents, Rachel affirms that she is still financially dependent on her parents because she's still a student and demands that her mom and dad continue to pay her private high school and forthcoming college costs, her living and transportation costs, as well as her lawyer fees.
In the official courts records, the teenager says her parents are now refusing to pay for her college, despite the fact that she has already received acceptance letters from several universities.
However, Sean Canning, the girl's father, says Rachel isn't telling the whole story and that she left voluntarily because she wasn't willing to abide by the rules of the house, do chores or keep a curfew.
“We love our child and miss her. This is terrible. It’s killing me and my wife. We have a child we want home. We’re not draconian and now we’re getting hauled into court. She’s demanding that we pay her bills but she doesn’t want to live at home,” says the father, a former Lincoln Park police chief.
In addition, he says Rachel’s college fund has not been withdrawn or re-allocated.
Currently, Rachel is living with a friend’s family, who are financially supporting her lawsuit because they think she is in the right. The legal costs of the lawsuit have already amounted to $12,597 (€9,160), according to Los Angeles Times.
Being an honor student, Rachel has various choices when it comes to what college she will attend, but the University of Vermont is her first choice. She has also received a $20,000 (€14,500) scholarship offer from a New York private college.
According to the law, parents have an obligation to support their children financially if they are not able to stand on their own.
Although Rachel is not the first U.S. teenager who is suing her parents, the lawyers say this case is unique. In other similar cases, the teenagers were part of broken families, but Rachel seems to want to gain independence from her parents, but requests them to continue paying her bills.
Rachel Canning filed suit last week and both sides are scheduled to appear in Morristown Family Court today.