18-year-old sues parents to force payment of tuition fees

A New Jersey student who says her parents abandoned her when she turned 18, lost the first round in the lawsuit she filed against them for school costs and living expenses, a case that could set a precedent for a family’s obligation to support a child who has left home.

A family court judge denied a request by Rachel Canning, 18, of Lincoln Park, New Jersey, to have her parents temporarily resume paying her tuition and living expenses. He set another hearing date for next month.

Canning wants her parents to pay the remaining $5,000 (€3,640) in tuition fees owed to the Morris Catholic High School, where she is a senior, and wants access to a college fund that was set up for her.