Legal Question in Family Law in Indiana

For as long as I can personally remember, I have been physically (though there are no visible scars), emotionally, and mentally abused by my father, while my mother sits by and does nothing to stop this abuse (which I suppose this is abuse in itself). I would like to ask if there is a possibility that I would be able to emancipate myself from my parents. There is really no way to prove the physical abuse (which stopped after I threatened to tell the police), and emotional/mental abuse as far as I know is not considered illegal.

I am 20 years old, and currently live with them. However because my parents make too much money, there is no way I can get any type of government funding for school. If I move out, I wont see a dime from my parents. My counselor has insisted that in order for me to heal and move on from the past twenty years, I need to move out and start fresh. I definitely agree, but without money how can I do this? I still want to go to school and make something of myself after all.

I currently do not have a job, since I do not have a car to myself, and we live in the middle of nowhere. My parents are controlling my life. I am not allowed to use the car for anything but school. This is not normal.

Would I have to get married in order for the government to start looking at MY income, and no longer even consider the money my parents make? Is it really as simple as...I move out, pay all my own bills, no longer on their insurance plan, etc.?

Would this be grounds to get myself emancipated? Thank you for your time, and I appreciate any advice you can give!


Asked on 12/25/10, 1:02 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

I suggest that you speak with a financial aid counselor to see what funding is available to you if you move out from your parents. .

Perhaps you should move to a major metropolitan or a university town where you wont need a car and can find work that you can walk or bicycle to. There is also the military. You could look into working full time and going to school part time or online. Good luck.

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Answered on 12/30/10, 1:38 pm


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