Legal Question in Family Law in Missouri

Re: Legal Adult?

Your question is not a simple one to answer, but I believe that you can share some general legal information with you daughter which may be pertinent. In one sense, at least, she is correct.If she is now stopped by the police she will be treated as an adult. That means that she would be charged with "adult" crimes, and face "adult" punishments, quite unlike the treatment she may have gotten in juvenile court! However, she is not an "adult" in many other legal senses, and she does not have the legal right to do whatever she wants, assuming that she lives with you and you have legal custody of her. She can not enter into a legally enforceable contract until she is eighteen. Certain things that she may do may result in cilil liability on your part. She may not vote. She may not drink, or even smoke until she is older. The law places different meanings on a person's attaining different ages, and I hope that you can share this information with her in a way that will help. Good luck.