On July 10, 2026, Judge John Scheele of the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a lower court order that absolved Jamie L. Pratt from paying tuition for her son Jonathan Pratt, citing the boy’s rejection of her contact.
The Pratt family split in November 2020 after Jonathan’s parents divorced. In July 2021, Jonathan’s father, Jonathan M. Pratt, moved the 14‑year‑old son to Columbus, Georgia, leaving Jamie alone in Indianapolis.
From 2021 to 2025, Jamie sent 25 text messages—including one on the boy’s 18th birthday—none of which elicited a response, evidence presented as photographs at the July hearing.
Under Ind. Code § 31‑16‑6‑2, a parent can be ordered to fund a child’s post‑secondary education only if the child has not repudiated the relationship; the court found the son’s silence amounted to repudiation.
Defendant Dan J. May, representing the father, argued the messages were ignored while the son was still under his father’s influence, but the panel, in a unanimous opinion, rejected that claim.
With the appeal dismissed, the Pratt family can now seek an out‑of‑court agreement; the court’s decision signals that courts will consider a child’s adult‑age conduct when evaluating parental obligations.