Fake Facebook Account Pages Mock New Jersey Teen Suing Parents

It may be a bit too early to call this the Facebook Story of the Year, but it will certainly become a major contender come December.

The story began making headlines across the nation this week as New Jersey teenager Rachel Canning took her parents to court alleging that she left home in October two days before turning 18 because her parents were abusive, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The parents testified Wednesday that their daughter ran away from home because she refused to comply with typical household chores and abiding by a curfew. Canning was seeking $650 a week in child support payments and the remainder of her tuition at Morris Catholic High School.

State Superior Court Judge Peter Bogaard denied the 18-year-old's demands but ordered both parties to appear in court on April 22 to answer for the allegations of abuse.

The Los Angeles Times, along with the New York Post and NJ.com, reported Friday that a slew of fake social media accounts have been made in Canning's name as part of a hoax. Some are self-identified as a parody account expressing outrage toward the teenager, while one in particular -- Education for Rachel -- seemed legitimate. Canning's lawyer John P. Inglesino told the Times in an email, "This page is a hoax."

The Post insists, however, that the page is, in fact, real.

The page, which was updated Friday, stated "suburban baby boomer types are the spoiled lot. ... We have been stunned by the financial greed of modern parents who are more concered with retiring into some fantasy world rather than provide for their children's college and young adult years."

According to NJ.com, one of the parody accounts, which features a crying baby in its cover photo, has collected quite a few hundred followers. The page has links to news posts about the ongoing legal battle underneath the stories in the comments sections are not so flattering words.

"Mommy is being a meanie weenie," and "Ugh! It shouldn't be this hard getting my money from daddy. Any more stress and my hair will frizz for sure! I need a spa day ... maybe mommy will pay for it."