These Parents Were Court-Ordered To Pay For Their Kid’s College Education And They’re Pretty Pissed

Daughter Sues Parents For College Tuition

The divorced parents of a 21-year-old woman have been ordered to contribute $16,000 a year toward their daughter’s college education. And they are PISSED. Her parents, Michael Ricci and Maura McGarvey, haven’t seen their daughter Caitlyn Ricci in two years except in court, so I kinda understand why they’re feeling a little…upset about the situation. Apparently Caitlyn Ricci moved out of her mother’s house and in with her paternal grandparents a few years ago.

You may recall this story, as Caitlyn sued her parents in earlier this year and made quite a few headlines in the process. Her parents said the suit came about just as they were preparing to ask a judge to declare her emancipated from them. (Side note: do you have to declare a 21-year-old ’emancipated’? That seems strange. Anyone? Bueller?)  I’ll admit when I first heard about this case, I kind of assumed it was more for the inflammatory attention and less about being real. Whoopsies, guess I was wrong because the judge assigned to the case cited Newburgh v. Arrigo, 88 N.J. 529 (1982), in which the state Supreme Court ruled divorced parents are responsible for providing for their child’s college education. Man, I wish that law had applied to my divorced parents when I was in college! They were both total shitheads back then and I was (and still pretty much am) in the hole for well over $100 grand in student loans. I really wish someone had sat me down and explained to me exactly how serious the financial responsibilities are for receiving a college education.

Caitlyn Ricci’s parents told the television station they are appealing the ruling and won’t foot the bill for out-of-state tuition at Temple University, saying:

”What child does this? It’s insane.”

Look, I won’t pretend to know or understand their particular family dynamic. But as someone who comes from a divorced family, had to basically grow up overnight and become a parent to my little sister, and am now currently suffocating under staggering loan debt, I can kind of understand why she’d go ahead with this suit. That being said, I can also kind of understand why her parents are outraged about having to pay for her college tuition at the same time – she does have the support of her grandparents, after all. I dunno. It’s a lose-lose situation, if you ask me. Thoughts?

(Photo: Shutterstock)

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