A US teenager who claims her parents threw her out of their home when she turned 18 is now suing them for financial support and the cost of her college education.
Rachel Canning, a senior honour student, cheerleader and lacrosse player at Morris Catholic High School in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, is seeking immediate financial support, wants her parents to pay an outstanding $US5000 fee owed for her high school tuition and her future college fees and for the court to declare her as “non-emancipated” and dependent as a student on her parents for support.
However, Rachel’s father, retired Lincoln Park police chief Sean Canning has told reporters that his daughter voluntarily left their family home in October because she no longer wanted to abide by their house rules – she didn’t want to be respectful, keep a curfew or do any household chores.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday.
“We love our child and miss her,” says Mr. Canning. “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 and she’s saying, ‘I don’t want to live under your rules’.”
In court documents, Mr Canning said that the dispute with his daughter started late in the US summer after a normal teenage parent conflict with Rachel “suddenly escalated into open rebellion. There were instances where we set limits on Rachel’s behaviour and those limits were far exceeded … At the end of October she decided she could do better on her own and ran away.”
In recent months, Rachel has been living with the family of her best friend. The local newspaper, The Daily Record of Parsippany, reports the friend’s father John Inglesino, is funding the lawsuit and hired the attorney who is representing Rachel Canning. Part of the suit includes more than $US13,000 in legal fees.
A hearing is set down for tomorrow.
