@schroengang, It doesn’t matter if the dad claims OP on his taxes or not. Students have limited options for being considered independent for financial aid, and the requirements include things like being married, being in the military, or being 24. How the parents file taxes has nothing to do with it.
If the college requires the CSS, they won’t care that the dad says he won’t pay. They aren’t going to ignore ~3/4 of a million dollars in income. I think OP needs to consider FAFSA only schools or the state college if they can’t qualify for enough merit aid.