Legal Question in Juvenile Dependency in Michigan

Re: Help!

It depends on your age - if you are under 18, your parents can and likely will report you as a runaway, and then anyone who is letting you stay with them can be charged with harboring a runaway. If you are in an abusive situation, and are 16 or 17, then you can apply to become emancipated, which, if granted, means you are an adult for purposes of making your own legal decisions and are no longer bound by your parents, nor would your parents have any legal right to determine where you lived, what job you held, etc.

Getting a petition for emancipation granted by a Judge is not an easy process, and there are multiple factors that a Judge considers before deciding to grant a petition (and your parents have the right to object and oppose the petition, and speak in court during any hearings). Therefore, you would definitely need to hire a lawyer to assist you with this process.

Thanks.