Teenager Accuses Father of Being 'Inappropriately Affectionate,' Gets Discouraged by Judge
The teenager who had sued her parents demanding immediate financial relief for tuitions was discouraged by the judge.
Rachel Canning demanded support money of $650 a week from her parents. She also demanded her parents to pay for her tuitions at her school. While she sued them, she also demanded them to pay for her attorney. Her plea was, however, discouraged by New Jersey Judge Peter Bogaard. Judge Bogaard argued that Ms Canning's appeal might create a "potentially slippery slope," The Independent reported.
Justice Bogaard said that such demand from parents, if approved, might encourage a young kid to sue their parents for an Xbox or an iPhone. Parents should not hesitate to enforce "basic rules" in the house. There should not be "constant fear" in their mind for being sued if their child does not like a certain rule in the house, he said.
Ms Canning, a student at Morris Catholic High School, claimed that she was kicked out of her parents' property after she became an adult. They refused to pay for her education any more. She also claimed that she had received acceptance letters from several universities but it was not enough to convince her parents. Ms Canning also accused her parents of being abusive. She blamed them for being responsible for developing an eating disorder. They allegedly pressurised her to manage a basketball scholarship. She also accused her father of being "inappropriately affectionate" with her.
Ms Canning's parents, on the contrary, claimed that they had been supportive. They said that they had helped their daughter when she developed her eating disorder. They claimed to have paid for a private school. Ms Canning's father Sean Canning, a retired police chief from Lincoln Park, and her mother Elizabeth claimed that their daughter had voluntarily left the house as she was not ready to follow basic house rules like being respectful, doing chores and keeping a curfew. She also refused to end a relation with her boyfriend who, according to her parents, was a "bad influence."
Judge Bogaard asked all partied to reappear on April 22 with all testimony and evidence.
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