Divorced Parents From South Jersey Must Pay Estranged Daughter's College Tuition

Divorced New Jersey parents who haven’t seen their estranged daughter in two years have been ordered to pay her college tuition.

The parents of Caitlyn Ricci, 21, have been ordered to pay $16,000 for her college tuition this year and in the future after she filed a lawsuit. While her mother calls Ricci’s actions “insane,” Ricci’s grandmother supports her granddaughter, according to 6 ABC.

Michael Ricci and Maura McGarvey were married two-and-a half years, according to the report. However, they worked together to raise their daughter, but she left two years ago.

There are conflicting viewpoints as to whether she left to live with her grandparents or she was kicked out, according to the report.

New Jersey law states divorced parents may be required to contribute to their child’s education, regardless of age, according to the report.

She currently attends Temple University. As an out-of-state student, her tuition is higher than it would have been had she remained in state, as her parents requested.

The battle has been ongoing since 2013, when she attended Gloucester County College, according to philly.com. There’s been backlash against the parents, including a death threat and a comment on a news story that read “I hope your head explodes.”

She is a graduate of Washington Township High School in Gloucester County, according to the nj.com.