Rachel Canning, aka the most spoiled brat in America, has recently sued her parents for immediate financial assistance. The 18-year-old New Jersey resident claims to have left her parents’ residence due to severe verbal and physical abuse. Her parents, however, said otherwise. They claimed that Rachel left home because she didn’t want to obey their rules. Soon after, she moved in with her boyfriend for a few days and then to a friend’s house, where she has been staying since the incident. James Inglesino, the father of Rachel’s friend Jamie, has not only been giving Rachel a place to stay, but at this point is also funding Rachel’s legal battle.
Judge Peter Bogaard gave Canning the rudest awakening of her life when he denied any claim she had for financial assistance from her parents. He had some very harsh words for her while discussing Canning’s complete and utter disrespect for her parents. He then later explained that he didn’t see this as an emergency situation and that he would make his final decision at their second hearing. Canning seeks $5,306 for her Morris Catholic tuition bill and an additional $12,597 in legal fees from the current lawsuit.
Canning was also suspended from school for truancy after skipping several days. Soon after, her parents cut ties with her boyfriend and she had then decided to run away. At this point, her parents cut off her high school tuition and any future of college financial assistance. It seems as if the perfect honor student isn’t so flawless after all, and she has really just dug herself a deep, deep hole.
Following this case has made me feel as if the generation gap of our time has greatly increased, now more than ever. It is often that adolescents and young adults today are labeled as “ignorant, spoiled and disrespectful” and I don’t think Rachel Canning’s case is going to help our cause out one bit. In this specific case, it comes down to a lot of “he said, she said.” However, at the end of the day, it is completely absurd that one would ask their own parents to pay for their lawsuit expenses, especially when her parents are the ones she is suing! Wasting money to get money seems like a perfectly good explanation for the lawsuit at this point.
Furthermore, public opinion backs up my above argument. One follower of CNN commented on the article, “Expect this from all generations that are under 21 from this century. They think they are entitled to everything.” Although this is only one comment, in just four short days it earned more than 1,400 likes. Additionally, here were numerous tweets and comments about the lawsuit, mostly painting the honor student as a spoiled, selfish child.
However, her father had different things to say… even after she continues to sue him for nearly $20,000. In an article by USA Today, Rachel Canning’s father spoke out about his current legal situation with his daughter. He even went to lengths to explain that he is upset that his daughter is publicly perceived as a spoiled brat. (LOL, right?) At this point, both parent and child have some rethinking to do. Even we, as young members of society, can take a lesson away from this screwed-up lawsuit and work to fix our distressing reputation.
Allie Ebben ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in nursing with a certificate in gender and women’s studies.
