Fairview, OR asked in Family Law for Oregon

Q: Im 16 and i want to move out with my girlfriend because me and my mom are not in good terms, what should I do?

Me and my mom haven’t been in good terms and I have a child already and I just want to move out of the house to live with my girlfriend but I don’t know if it is legal

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Joanne Reisman
Joanne Reisman
Answered
  • Portland, OR
  • Licensed in Oregon

A: You are a minor so you have no legal rights yet. You can't sign a contract or at least no contract you sign will be legally binding until you are 18. Your mother is legally responsible for you until you turn 18. So no, you don't have adult rights to decide where you want to live and to be financially independent. Can you "run away" from home? I suppose you could. I don't think the police are going to arrest you and they have too many crimes to solve to spend their time on runaways. But any adult that takes you in runs the risk of being arrested for custodial interference. So you are facing a situation where you don't have the means to take care of yourself, someone that helps you could be arrested, and you can't form the types of financial commitments that an adult needs to form to survive, like rent an apartment. Let me put it another way, getting along with your mother for two years is not as hard as being an adult and surviving out in the world, much less doing all of that when you are a father and you have to support a child. I strongly recommend that you make peace with your mother and figure out how you are going to survive when you eventually leave home at age 18. I also recommend that you stay in school and get an education.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.