An interesting case in Morris County has taken hold of the headlines.  An 18-year-old brought her parents to Court on an emergency application to compel them to pay for child support and her private school and college tuition.

While the issue of child support and allocation of educational costs for children is often raised to the Court when there is a divorce, there is no precedence for such a case where the family is intact.

In this particular case, the daughter claimed she moved out of her parents’ home because they wanted her to stop seeing her boyfriend.  Her parents stated that she refused to abide by their rules, and she was disrespectful to them.  There were many conflicting allegations brought by the parties with frequent disagreements over the facts.  After a two hour hearing, the Court did not grant the teen’s request for emergency support but did schedule the case for another hearing towards the end of April.

It remains to be seen what the judge will do in this case.  Will the Court agree that married parents should pay their child financial support if their child moves out, or will it continue to be a matter for married parents to decide how they will support their children without Court intervention?