Shreveport, LA asked in Criminal Law, Family Law, Child Custody and Domestic Violence for Louisiana

Q: My girlfriend turns 18 in a few months, but she is still in high school. If she leaves on her bday, can she be arrested?

She is in an abusive home with her dad and stepmom, but her dad has a lot of money. Like a lot. She says that on her 18th birthday she is going to leave to live with her mom and her dad told her that if she left then he would have her and her mother arrested. Legally, can he do that? She is still a junior in high school but once she turns 18 she can leave right?

2 Lawyer Answers
Douglas Lee Bryan
Douglas Lee Bryan
Answered
  • Marksville, LA
  • Licensed in Louisiana

A: Technically, if a child leaves home at 17, she cannot be arrested. However, her father could file to have her adjudicated as a delinquent. At 18, she is a legal adult and can live wherever she wants.

Ellen Cronin Badeaux
Ellen Cronin Badeaux
Answered
  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Covington, LA
  • Licensed in Louisiana

A: The day she turns 18 she can leave and her mother should file for child support the same day because she can collect until her daughter turns 19 or graduates from high school, whichever comes first.

Dad is blowing smoke cause he doesn't want to pay one year of child support.

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