College Grad Sues Dad to Cover Student Debt

[TheQueen]

College Grad Sues Dad to Cover Student Debt
by Joe Lynch
Thursday, July 1, 2010

Arguing over money is nothing new for most families, especially when recent college graduates with massive student loans start looking to their parents for economic assistance in today's tough job market. And things can get tense when parents try to decide how much of that debt they're willing to help out with.

Most of the time, though, that decision isn't decreed in a court of law.

But that's exactly what happened when Dana Soderberg sued her father to force him to fulfill their agreement to pay for her education at Southern Connecticut State University.

CONTINUE READING (http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/109991/college-grad-sues-dad-to-cover-student-debt?mod=edu-continuing_education)

[Christy]

:blink This is why I'm not promising jack to my kids :goofy

You know, I guess she's got a strong case here (sounds like to me anyway) but the rest of the article went on to say how much debt young people have as opposed to their income when they leave school... makes me think, research before you go into these huge amounts of debt as well :dunno Pick a smaller cheaper instate school, etc. :dunno We of course had lots of debt from med school (that we'll have gone within a couple years :circles ) but we paid our way through undergrad by being reasonable. By we I mean Andy went and paid for most, I paid for one year of undergrad :lol

[Tom]

Oh wow. Daddy's little princess was a liberal arts major at a state school, and now when she graduates what kind of a job does she expect to get? Oh, I know, some sort of high management salary with ZERO experience? :rollseyes

I guess daddy supposed to pay for everything while the little princess just danced her way through school. :rollseyes

I got news for the little biatch. The economy is bad. Daddy was a property developer, and stopped making payments in 2007. Who knows. Maybe he lost his job, and had no money to pay the bills.

How much money is she making at her job? $8/hour? Welcome to the REAL world honey!

[TheQueen]

As Mary Poppins always says, "Don't make pie promises. Easily made , easily broken." Especially when the pie promise comes with a written contract.

[Christy]

Yes, in THIS particular case, Daddy's SOL :lol

I was talking about the rest of the article.

[Tom]

I was only commenting on the biatch in the article. Daddy is definitely screwed, since he was stupid enough to sign a contract like that.

[erika]

Oh wow. Daddy's little princess was a liberal arts major at a state school, and now when she graduates what kind of a job does she expect to get? Oh, I know, some sort of high management salary with ZERO experience? :rollseyes

I guess daddy supposed to pay for everything while the little princess just danced her way through school. :rollseyes

I got news for the little biatch. The economy is bad. Daddy was a property developer, and stopped making payments in 2007. Who knows. Maybe he lost his job, and had no money to pay the bills.


I gotta say, without knowing more, I don't feel too badly for daddy. Methinks he created this mess. This is 20-some-odd-years in the making :lol

As for what job she is looking to get, I thought it said teaching :shrug

[figmentmom]

Yes, in THIS particular case, Daddy's SOL :lol


Daddy is definitely screwed, since he was stupid enough to sign a contract like that.

Yep, it must have been one mother and father of a bitter divorce, for paperwork like that to be flying around. :rollseyes

[erika]

Yep, it must have been one mother and father of a bitter divorce, for paperwork like that to be flying around. :rollseyes

My thoughts, too. Sad.

[Tom]

I gotta say, without knowing more, I don't feel too badly for daddy. Methinks he created this mess. This is 20-some-odd-years in the making :lol

As for what job she is looking to get, I thought it said teaching :shrug

I'm sure that when they were married it was the "perfect nuclear family." Maybe they got divorced maybe because daddy was screwing around with his secretary, who knows.

Teaching what? Art? :sleep And since many local towns/counties/states/school districts are finding it hard to make ends meet, they are laying off teachers, especially those that teach in areas that are not vital for education and passing the state exams. So, math/science are in, art, basket weaving are out.

[TheQueen]

I'm sure that when they were married it was the "perfect nuclear family." Maybe they got divorced maybe because daddy was screwing around with his secretary, who knows.

Teaching what? Art? :sleep And since many local towns/counties/states/school districts are finding it hard to make ends meet, they are laying off teachers, especially those that teach in areas that are not vital for education and passing the state exams. So, math/science are in, art, basket weaving are out.

I don't really think it's necessary for you to malign people who've studied art, Tom. You can make your point without having to insult people's choices of study or career. Art has been a catalyst for many major achievements in civilization. Where would we be without Van Gogh, or Reubens or Gaugin? Where would be without Mozart or Hayden or Chopin? Besides, there are those who believe math and science can be artistic as well. And just because she's chosen to study in a field that may have other non-economic benefits doesn't make it any less of a field. Some people are very happy to live with less and enrich their lives with art.

[erika]

I don't really think it's necessary for you to malign people who've studied art, Tom. You can make your point without having to insult people's choices of study or career. Art has been a catalyst for many major achievements in civilization. Where would we be without Van Gogh, or Reubens or Gaugin? Where would be without Mozart or Hayden or Chopin? Besides, there are those who believe math and science can be artistic as well. And just because she's chosen to study in a field that may have other non-economic benefits doesn't make it any less of a field. Some people are very happy to live with less and enrich their lives with art.

:bow I have little interest in a life without the arts.


And that includes photography, architecture, film, CAD- have I ever mentioned how much it pisses me off when schools cut out their art/music classes? :lol The more I look around the more it is hard to find a single field that hasn't been improved upon by artists.

[figmentmom]

:bow I have little interest in a life without the arts.


And that includes photography, architecture, film, CAD- have I ever mentioned how much it pisses me off when schools cut out their art/music classes? :lol The more I look around the more it is hard to find a single field that hasn't been improved upon by artists.

Music has been my life. :blush There are many studies that show kids who participate in the arts carry those skills into other academic areas, and excel there as well.

[Tom]

I don't really think it's necessary for you to malign people who've studied art, Tom. You can make your point without having to insult people's choices of study or career. Art has been a catalyst for many major achievements in civilization. Where would we be without Van Gogh, or Reubens or Gaugin? Where would be without Mozart or Hayden or Chopin? Besides, there are those who believe math and science can be artistic as well. And just because she's chosen to study in a field that may have other non-economic benefits doesn't make it any less of a field. Some people are very happy to live with less and enrich their lives with art.

Gordon, I apologize if I came off that way. I do agree with you. The point I was trying to make is that while some people are very happy to live with less and enrich their lives, they end up with large debt from college loans. Then by their choice of life ambition, they have no way of paying back those loans, and they end up defaulting on said loans. Those same loans that you, erika, and everyone else pay for.

I'm all for everyone doing what they want to do, however, choosing your major, and crying "poverty" because of your "poor" choice should not be my problem.

[TheQueen]

Gordon, I apologize if I came off that way. I do agree with you. The point I was trying to make is that while some people are very happy to live with less and enrich their lives, they end up with large debt from college loans. Then by their choice of life ambition, they have no way of paying back those loans, and they end up defaulting on said loans. Those same loans that you, erika, and everyone else pay for.

I'm all for everyone doing what they want to do, however, choosing your major, and crying "poverty" because of your "poor" choice should not be my problem.

Yes, but I don't think the daughter is necessarily in the wrong if you view this in the narrow context of the law. She went to school, he agreed to pay for it, he wanted her to apply for student loans, she did, she had to drop out because he didn't hold up his end of a bargain they both agreed to, and she sued to get him to comply. I think it's pretty cut and dry. But I believe your initial visceral reaction is towards her actions of suing her father. If that's the case, then I can see how you saw it being distasteful on her part. But let's say she decided to study law instead of art and came out with thousands of dollars of loans. Would you feel any differently because it was law?

I was merely trying to emphasize the point that regardless of whether she chose to study art or medicine or engineering is besides the point as far as the court was concerned. Was there a valid contract between the two and did the father fail to uphold his part of the contract? Again, from my EXTREMELY limited knowledge of the case, it appears to be a very narrow matter for the court to decide. I'm sure there are many people who would ding the daughter for suing the father, but then there might be others who would ding the father for even signing such a contract.

And I apologize if I came off "lecturing" you. That wasn't my intention at all.:flower

[Tom]

Yes, but I don't think the daughter is necessarily in the wrong if you view this in the narrow context of the law. She went to school, he agreed to pay for it, he wanted her to apply for student loans, she did, she had to drop out because he didn't hold up his end of a bargain they both agreed to, and she sued to get him to comply. I think it's pretty cut and dry. But I believe your initial visceral reaction is towards her actions of suing her father. If that's the case, then I can see how you saw it being distasteful on her part. But let's say she decided to study law instead of art and came out with thousands of dollars of loans. Would you feel any differently because it was law?

I was merely trying to emphasize the point that regardless of whether she chose to study art or medicine or engineering is besides the point as far as the court was concerned. Was there a valid contract between the two and did the father fail to uphold his part of the contract? Again, from my EXTREMELY limited knowledge of the case, it appears to be a very narrow matter for the court to decide. I'm sure there are many people who would ding the daughter for suing the father, but then there might be others who would ding the father for even signing such a contract.

And I apologize if I came off "lecturing" you. That wasn't my intention at all.:flower

Gordon,

See a few posts from me above. I do agree that a valid contract was signed by the father, and I said that he was scrwed (in the sense that it is a valid contract and he will have to pay for the loan). What I do disagree with is the "damages." He shouuld have to pay everything that she had to put out to get a judgement, and he should have to pay the loan, but the extra "damages" (from what? emotional distress? :rollseyes) is ridiculous.

The reason I am so "against" the daughter is that it sounds like she is some half Italian princess or something and that daddy has to pay for everything. So if it had been law, engineering, or medicine, I still would have the same opinion.

My comments re; her choice of major. Again, I reiterate. There are far too many liberal arts majors that graduate and are crying because they can't (or won't) pay their student loans because they either can't afford to live, or because they cannot find a job. Why is that my problem? You chose your major. You accumulated the debt. Why should the Federal government allow you to default on your obligations because you only make $8/hour?

Glad we can bury the hatchet. :flower