Suing dad to pay for college

A Connecticut woman who says her father reneged on a contract to pay her tuition is awarded $47,000. Will the case set a precedent?

Should parents be required to follow through on their promises to pay for college?
(Image credit: Corbis)

In a case that takes parent-child squabbles to a new level, a Connecticut woman has won a lawsuit against her father after he refused to pay for her senior year of college. Following her parents' 2004 divorce, Dana Soderberg — then an art major at Southern Connecticut State University — procured a written agreement from her father that he would finance her education until she was 25. Her father counter-sued, saying his daughter broke the contract by failing to apply for student loans and providing him with receipts. A judge sided with the daughter, awarding her $47,000. Is this where parent-child relationships are heading?

Good for Dana Soderberg: Let Soderberg's victory in court "be a lesson to all you parents out there," says Patrick Thornton at MinnLawyer.com. "Your kids will remember the promises you make, especially if you put them in writing." This young woman shouldn't stop at a university degree. She has a future as a lawyer.

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