Teen Drops Lawsuit Against Parents

A Morris County teen's lawsuit against her parents that drew national attention came to an end Tuesday.

Rachel Canning, 18, who was seeking tuition costs and living expenses, dropped her complaint against her parents, Elizabeth and Sean Canning.

Family Division Judge Peter Bogaard ruled in Morristown that he “found that (Rachel’s) decision to dismiss the litigation was a knowing and voluntary decision,” and he ordered the case dismissed, according to NJ.com.

Rachel Canning moved back into her parents' Lincoln Park home last week after she had been staying with a friend in Rockaway Township since two days before her 18th birthday in October.

Her friend's father, John Inglesino, the municipal attorney for Parsippany-Troy Hills Township and former Rockaway Township mayor and Morris County freeholder, bankrolled the legal fees Canning needed for the suit.

Rachel Canning's attorney, Tanya N. Helfand, questioned her client's motives for dismissing the lawsuit during Tuesday's 10-minute hearing, according to the Daily Record.

"We want to make sure you are not overwhelmed or confused," Helfand said, according to the Daily Record. "Are you comfortable with what’s going on in the household at this point?"

Canning replied that she was comfortable with the situation, according to the article. Helfand pressed further, but was cut off by the judge who ruled in favor of the dismissal.

Canning's request for more than $5,000 in tuition costs for Morris Catholic, college application fees, living and travel expenses and future tuition payments for the college she decides to attend was denied by a judge earlier this month.