By Greg Adomaitis | For NJ.com
on February 11, 2017 at 7:50 AM, updated February 11, 2017 at 9:29 AM
CAMDEN — Parents can’t just be forced to hand over cash for college payments without being involved in their child’s higher education decisions, an Appellate Court has ruled.
The Feb. 9 opinion on the long-simmering case between Caitlyn Ricci and her divorced parents Michael Ricci and Maura McGarvey sheds light on whether the two were legally obligated to pay for their estranged daughter’s higher education
“A parent cannot be viewed as a ‘wallet’ and deprived of involvement of college decision making process,” the ruling states. Also at heart here, however, is when those over the age of 18 become truly independent and the circumstances surrounding such a decision.
“Once the issue of emancipation is decided, an obligation to pay college costs for an academically motivated un-emancipated child requires a two-fold analysis,” the opinion reads. The first being whether the parents are involved in those choices and whether they can afford it.