A Cheerleader In New Jersey Is Suing Her Parents Because They Won't Pay For Her College Education

High school senior Rachel Canning is a cheerleader and an honor student at Morris Catholic High in Denville, New Jersey. She’s been accepted to multiple universities, but according to CBS New York, she might not be able to go; Canning claims that once she turned 18, she was kicked out of her house. She is now suing her parents to pay for her “private-school tuition, college tuition, and living expenses.”

Her father, a retired police chief, is none too pleased.

“We’re being sued by our child,” said Sean Canning, a former police chief in Lincoln Park, N.J. “I’m dumbfounded, so is my wife, so are my other daughters…I know Rachel is a) a good kid, b) an incredibly rebellious teen, and she’s getting some terrible information.”

He claimed Rachel ran away from home in November because she did not want to follow house rules.

“Living in our house there – there’s very rules,” he said. “There’s minor chores. There’s curfews – when I say curfew, it’s usually after 11 o’clock at night.”

Rachel is now living with her friend’s family, “which includes attorney…John Inglesino.”

Inglesino is funding the lawsuit, telling CBS 2 News it is the only way the bright and focused teen will be able to go to a college appropriate for her to become a biomedical engineer.

Rachel, who has a $20,000 scholarship, said the University of Vermont is her first choice.

Meanwhile, her dad gave her ultimatum: dump her “bad influence” boyfriend, or get out. Also:

Her parents have also said that Rachel has had disciplinary problems, having been suspended twice at school and gotten in trouble for bullying her sister, according to the Daily Record, and that she was seeing a therapist and taking medication before moving out.

“We’re heartbroken, but what do you do when a child says, ‘I don’t want your rules but I want everything under the sun and you to pay for it?’” Sean said, adding that Rachel’s college fund is available and has not been withdrawn or re-allocated as she alleged in the lawsuit. (Via)

As someone who owns approximately $9 million in student loans (if I ever met someone named Sallie Mae in real life, I wouldn’t feel guilty about stabbing them where they stand), I feel little-to-no sympathy for Rachel, though it feels like there’s something else happening here that hasn’t been revealed yet. For Rachel’s sake, I hope so, because as it stands, she’s looking like the Google search result for “spoiled.”

Via CBS New York

×