Teenager sues her parents for child support
US teen Rachel Canning has lost the first round of her legal case to claim cash support from her parents, despite leaving home
A teenager in the US who left home and then sued her parents for child support has lost the first round of her legal case.
Rachel Canning, 18, demanded £390 a week from her parents at a court in New York.
The teenage cheerleader also wants her parents to continue paying her private school tuition fees, give her a college fund and pay her lawyers’ fees.
The Catholic High School honours student left the family home in November because she did not want to follow rules set by her parents.
Father Sean Canning and his wife Elizabeth said they had asked their daughter to be respectful at home, keep curfews and end her relationship with her boyfriend.
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And, at a family court hearing in New York on Tuesday, Rachel was told her parents wouldn’t have to pay child support or her legal costs.
“Are we going to open the gates for 12-year-olds to sue for an Xbox? For 13-year-olds to sue for an iPhone?” thundered an angry Judge Peter Bogaard, who warned that Rachel's court case could lead to a "slippery slope".
The school has now waived Rachel’s fees until the case is settled.
The teenager claimed her parents threw her out of the family home when she turned 18 in November because they didn’t like her boyfriend. She also accused her parents of being abusive, contributing to an eating disorder and pushing her to get a basketball scholarship.
She’s since been living with the family of her best friend.
The case will return to court on 22 April.
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