What Do We Do

[Apc90]

My question involves emancipation laws for the State of: New York

My girlfriend is 16 years old, and her parents are absolutely terrible to her for literally no reason. She is now allowed to see me for no reason whatsoever and its not like I am a bad kid I am a freshman at a private college in mass, I am going there on wrestling scholarship. My girlfriend's parents do not let us see each other so we have been sneaking around for the past year behind their backs, my parents love her and do not really mind. Recently things have gotten drastically worse and they found my cell phone number on her phone and now they are threatening to press harassment charges etc.; the thing is she is a great girl and we really are looking for a way out of this mess...what could we do legally to stop their insanity?

[aaron]

You start by belatedly following the instruction to read this thread.

Then you wait until she's 18.

[cbg]

You do realize, don't you, that by encouraging a minor child to disobey her parents and see her in direct opposition to their orders means you could end up in jail, right?

It doesn't matter how good a kid you are. It doesn't matter if you walk on water and her folks are the most unreasonable people who ever walked the earth. She is a minor. They are her parents. They said no. That means it is NO.

There is NOTHING in the law that is going to force her parents to allow a minor child to see someone they do not want her to see. If you were hoping there was some statute you could wave in their face and say, "See, this says you have to let us be together" there isn't. The law is 100% on the parents side here and you have NO RIGHTS WHATSOEVER in this issue.

I hope this is now perfectly clear to you.

[LawResearcherMissy]

so we have been sneaking around for the past year behind their backs

Stop that. Now.

If her parents obtain a restraining order against you, and you violate it, you'll go to jail. Go to jail, lose your wrestling scholarship - rare is the scholarship that doesn't include a morals and behavior clause.

Lose your scholarship...how will you pay for school?

Really, is your future worth throwing away over a girl?

[cyjeff]

To put this another way...

There is no law in any jurisdiction that will force a parent to allow their minor child to date someone the parents do not wish that child to date.

so... you lose.

Start dating college women. They don't have a curfew and have their own place.