New Jersey Cheerleader Sues Her Own Parents To Force Them To Pay For College
Rachel Canning, 18, a cheerleader at Morris Catholic High School, claims her parents kicked her out of their home and refused to pay for her college tuition.
Her lawsuit - which is funded by the lawyer father of one of the teen's friends - seeks immediate financial support from her parents and an order requiring them to pay for her college.
Sean Canning, Rachel's father and a former police chief, says Rachel didn't get kicked out and in fact ran away from home in November because she did not want to follow simple rules like sticking to a curfew and doing chores.
"We are being sued by our child, I'm dumbfounded so is my wife and so are my other daughters," Sean Canning told CBS in a television interview. Her parents also deny her allegations that they're refusing to pay for college.
"We have a college fund that's available to her and there's no doubt about that. But it's the equivalent of going shopping at a high-end store and sending somebody the bill," her father told CBS.
However, Rachel says her parents are just making excuses, telling the Daily Record they've "rationalized their actions by blaming me for not following their rules."
"They stopped paying my high school tuition to punish the school and me and have redirected my college fund, indicating their refusal to afford me an education as a punishment," she added.