A few months ago the story of Rachel Canning and her decision to sue her parents for school tuition and room and board gained national attention.
The whole ordeal seemed to be extremely emotional for the family, but throughout the hearings many of the underlying issues weren’t necessarily addressed. Like, what is the parent’s responsibility in this? Do they have an obligation to foot a child’s bills if they choose to leave the home on their own accord after a certain age?
Well, attorney Tanya Helfand, who represented Canning, has chosen to speak out about this case that gained so much exposure and New Jersey’s laws that may need some changing.
“I think the issue is the responsibility of parents to the education of children, and the law is a little vague in New Jersey, but what I think needs to be clarified further is the obligation of parents of intact families as opposed to just divorced families. If a kid’s parents are divorced it’s possible to go to court and say mom or dad has to pay for college and that can be done relatively easily, but if you’re in a situation where mom and dad don’t want to pay and they’re together, you’re in a much tougher spot,” she explained.