independence university class action lawsuit

Im 41 yrs old and it took everything in me to go back to school. I apologize for the s word. According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, the DOJ, along with the Department of Education, allege that the college paid illegal incentives to recruiters based on the number of new students they were able to enroll. more than 150 schools named in the class-action settlement, wipe out nearly $6 billion in loans for 580,000 borrowers who attended Corinthian Colleges, High inflation has intensified a debate among his advisers, struggled after graduation to earn a living wage. Two Stanford Students, Erica Olsen and Kalea Woods, have filled a class-action lawsuit against eight colleges involved in the $25 million college bribery case filed by the Justice Department. Later this spring, Navient will send the checks automatically. I know others that transferred that received no credit, as their credits are NOT ACCEPTED by most colleges, as they would lead you to believe when youre enrolling. As expected, the lawsuit has been dismissed by the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. Private lawsuits. I have debilitating depression and 50 yr old when I graduated. I sat there paid money out of my pocket to pay, which was all LIE. Now the government is trying to collect when I never finished the schooling because I felt like something was wrong. I started at Stevens-Henager (online) in March of 2012. I am still paying of the loan that increased to $39K because I deferred too many times and went to a state university. I tried the BBB but no resolution. The proposed class action settlement will lead to a paltry recovery for most students of less than $200 per student and provides other illusory benefits for victims of DeVry's fraudulent marketing . The department expects to finish its review of borrowers payment histories and implement the debt cancellation by then. Students were allowed to enter the class the last day of term and instructors were required to take all late work. Other students told USA TODAY they planned to continue their studies at one of the universities suggested by Independence University. The instructor at that time said I had already passed wed meet once a week and I would not take the final again. v. Rodan & Fields, LLC, No. I got an email from them, mind oyu 4 years later saying I own 8,896 on top of the 12 grand I have been paying off. I asked Colorados Division of Private Occupational Schools what the board action meant, and initially it declined to comment, saying it was an ongoing legal matter. Debtstrategists help you get back on track financially, Learn more at debtstrategists.com/blog I had no job at the time. You need not apply to join that lawsuit, either. How To Get Student Loan Forgiveness For Social Workers. But do you know which degree is still highly valuable? I am so frustrated and refuse to pay it at this point, I dropped out at 9 mmonths, with 20,000 grand in loans and debt. She never got a job with this. Tuition for GA program costed me $17,000+. Stranger still, as of Monday afternoon, there was nothingon Independence University'swebsite to indicate the private college had closedSunday, nor on the website of its owner, The Center for Excellence in Higher Education. They continue to call me and email me about 16K I owe. This can be submitted on www.studentloans.gov. Sippel saidshe felt pressured to enroll at one of the schools suggested by Independence. How Times reporters cover politics. Lawsuits and disputes articles; Personal injury articles; Real estate articles; Traffic tickets articles; Wills and estates articles . Neither one of us had a good chance of using these degrees which I now find nobody acknowledges them as a legitimate accredited school. Plaintiff: MICHEL REDDIN. For comparison, the default rate at Michigan State University was 4.3 percent. We write to inform you that there is a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit that could affect your claim and to explain how your legal rights may be affected by that lawsuit. They screwed me too, in more ways than one. *, You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

. If they were suing the school then they should have waved the money for everyone who went there for just a few classes. al. I am now disabled and on SSI (which I had issues getting to begin with even with disabilities as a child). A higher learning hierarchy. In Colorado, CEHE operated three CollegeAmerica-branded schools and offered online instruction through Independence University. I was told it would be a 20 month program in which I would learn the skills necessary to obtain a graphic design job. The Center for Excellence in Higher Education told USA TODAY a statement was forthcoming. UPDATE 08/03/2021 Raisner Roupinian LLP filed a class action suit on August 2, 2021, against Center for Excellence in Higher Education, Independence University ("CEHE"), seeking to recover 60 days wages and benefits for former employees under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification ("WARN") Act. . They gave me no information as far as financial aid etc, asked about my pell grant and they couldnt give me any information. The groupowns three other colleges in the process of shutting down. I passed the first class with a B plus and they failed me and asked me to leave. INVESTIGATING HOW MONEY CORRUPTS DEMOCRACY. We were told the school understood that the majority of students who fill out the evaluations are the ones who are upset with the course, thus low ratings. None of them required us to call them as much as Stevens Henager. They promised career services would help me find a job. KANSAS CITY, Mo. I am being nickeled and dined to death trying to repay the amounts owed. In all honesty, I learned more from searching google or youtube for tutorials than I did from any instructor. The class-action lawsuit against Ball State University was filed by a student at the school last year. If you are a current or past student of Independence University, you may now be eligible to receive Independence University loan forgiveness. And somehow that number ended up being only $345/mo. National American University has been closing its physical campuses aro Syracuse, N.Y. - Another class action lawsuit has been filed against Syracuse University, demanding the school refund students some of the tuition and fees it charged them for the spring 2020 . Advanced Career Technologies, ABC Training Center of Maryland, and The Career Institute American Career Institute, The Career Institute of American International College, and Clark University Computer Career Institute, Alta College Westwood College and Redstone College, ATI Enterprises ATI Career Training Center, Bridgepoint Education Ashford University, Career Education Corporation Le Cordon Bleu, Sanford Brown, American InterContinental University, Brooks Institute, Colorado Technical University, Briarcliffe College, Harrington College of Design, International Academy of Design & Technology, and Missouri College, Center for Excellence in Higher Education College America, Independence University, Stevens-Henager College, and California College San Diego, Corinthian Bryman Institute, Everest Institute, Everest College, Heald College, and WyoTech, DeVry DeVry University, Ross University, Keller Graduate School of Management, and Carrington College, Education Corporation of America Virginia College and Brightwood College, Education Management Corporation Art Institute, Argosy University, Brown Mackie, and South University, Minnesota School of Business Minnesota School of Business and Globe University, Graham Holdings Kaplan University, Kaplan Career Institute, Kaplan College, and Mount Washington College, ITT Educational Services ITT Technical Institute, Lincoln Educational Services Lincoln Technical Institute, B&H Education Marinello School of Beauty, Premier Education Group Salter College, Branford Hall, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Harris School of Business, American College of Medical Careers. I feel the same way with everyone else. Generally, the WARN Act requires companies to provide their employees with 60 days written notice in advance of a mass layoff or plant closing. Yes I dont have anyone to blame but myself, however, lying about their career services helping you, or the fact that it doesnt really exist is just awful. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. I worked for this school for many years and have left due to them not fixing the problem they are still doing the same things they were sued for in the first place so who do I contact to give them the information I have. I am going to UVU now and because shc is not regionally accredited my dagree means nothing.I have to start over again! Forget about getting someone to ever respond to an email or phone call. Saddled with debt from a program that promised students lucrative careers but offered them little actual training or support, she struggled after graduation to earn a living wage. The loans were taken out without my knowledge and while I was in recovery from a major medical issue, I was dropped. If you study at a high quality MBA program in the United States, you can use that degree to improve your reputation and career ANYWHERE in the world, unlike law or medical degrees (or worthless degrees from diploma mills). For example, as of 2009, 40.2 percent of students of the Flagstaff, Arizona, campus of CollegeAmerica defaulted on their loans within three years. How much did this school actually cost me?? All I kept getting was rejections. Regardless of Henagers unclear relationship with the LDS church during its 100+ year history, the college was more recently purchased by one Carl Barney, who also currently owns Independence University, CollegeAmerica, and California College all for-profit institutes that lack regional accreditation. The chain is claiming that, in paying the bonuses, it was relying on legal advice from its attorney. Nalishia, I now have $43,000 in loans for a degree that could be used as toilet paper. ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals (designers, developers and writers) with years of experience in the legal industry. Under the settlement agreement, Emory University has agreed to pay $16,750,000 to resolve the class action lawsuit. The instructors were absolutely no help. Mandatory arbitration agreements are a common way for companies that want to avoid either class action lawsuits and/or liability for their illegal actions to circumvent the normal legal protections provided to students. 801-536-6958. In the last 3 years at least 8 people have been fired for fraud 4 in financial aid in Phoenix that packaged students who had cancelled their enrollment to keep their jobs. This is not about winning anything for myself but more for my students or anyone that was ripped of by this company and I just need to be pointed in the right direction so they will at some point have to stop what they are doing to innocent people. Do you even qualify for any debt relief? Have you learned anything that may help The False Claims Act under which the lawsuit was initially filed, allows private citizens to file suit over false claims (fraud) on behalf of the government. 1:13-cv-00009 (District of Idaho). I taught for this school until I was fired in the early part of 2014. What the heck?!?! If your loans have been transferred to Aidvantage, I have bad news for you:You wont see any loan eliminations, even if your loans originated with Sallie Mae, moved to Navient, and are now with Aidvantage. We still enroll them Our director said, Get 40 people and I dont care what you say or do to get them.'. I graduated in 2012 but they are calling saying I owe the school well over 10k on a loan the school provided. I would like to know if I would be eligible for the lawsuit? 3 Best Credit Repair Companies You Can Trust in 2022, notifying them of the closing of the school. In the absence of such notice, employers may be liable to each affected employee for 60 days wages and benefits. I was only there 2 days. Most of the times, the phone #s were not accurate in their system. But heres the rub: very few of those in debt to Navient ended up qualifying for relief. Update: On Thursday, a federal judge in San Francisco granted preliminary approval of a settlement that would . Jul 8, 2021. WASHINGTON A Utahcollege with online degrees closed abruptly over the weekend, disrupting the lives of thousands ofstudents. A $38,000,000.00 Settlement has been reached in three class action . After the board met behind closed doors with lawyers, one board member, Christoper Reister, made a motion to issue a Notice of Noncompliance to CollegeAmerica based upon a reasonable belief that Colorado law may have been violated. The board then amended its motion to provide that College America may be placed on probation with the Division if the issue is not resolved. At this meeting and subsequent ones, representatives of CollegeAmerica addressed the board. If your students dropped the course or if you got a certain amount of F grades, then it was reflected in your rating. If Sallie Mae holds your loans, youre out of luck. The school became a non-profit school in 2012, and offered associates, bachelors, and masters degrees in technology, business, graphic arts, and healthcare. In addition to the University of Colorado, Boulder, these include Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Drexel, Michigan State, New York University, Penn State, Purdue and . The Center for Excellence in Higher Educationalso hadbeen sanctioned by the Colorado government in 2020 in connection to fraud. Over the years there has been some concern over the potential for abuse in class action litigation. Many of the schools included in the settlement are out of business. Potts also provided information to the Colorado attorney general, which was investigating CollegeAmerica for fraud. 200k student borrowers are closer to getting their loans erased after judge's ruling. I need help I can not afford to pay the school and my fed. Stevens-Henager currently maintains several campuses in Utah and Idaho. The pair sued on behalf of themselves and the government under the federal False Claims Act. I went to this school 5 years ago, did everything they asked for classes for 2 years of a 3 year program, Health Information Management. (801) 312-0078. Although you do not benefit from the settlement, you and other residents of those states may file individual lawsuits against Navient to get relief. They are garnishing her tax refund. The Education Department granted relief to applicants from the schools included in the deal based on strong indicia regarding substantial misconduct by listed schools, whether credibly alleged or in some instances proven, according to the settlement papers filed with U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Also that I would be getting close to $900/mo from the VA (housing allowance) since I was an online student. I am right where I feared I would be. Any help would be appreciated. Mary: I am the lawyer representing the whistleblowers in this lawsuit. The seven-page lawsuit, filed on the same day of the reported mass layoff, claims the non-profit higher education institution, which operates Independence University, Stevens-Henager College, CollegeAmerica and California College San Diego, owes former employees 60 days of wages and benefits for its alleged violation of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. How To Get Student Loan Forgiveness For Police & Law Enforcement. I owe over 20,000 in loans! While it is still early in the 30-year deal, the losses raise red flags for . Emails bounced back, but yet the instructor was held responsible if they could not get ahold of the students. New Federal Repayment Terms for Student Debt: What You Should Know, Student Loan ForgivenessUpdate: Revisions, Delays, and Legal Challenges, 4 Ways To Minimize Your Student Loan Debt While Youre In School. Dont worry about actually learning?? I even went through voc rehab to help me find work and they refused to help my job developer. Cause Of Action: 28 U.S.C. Any way to get into the class action before they try to garnish wages and harass me? Alexis Sippel, 25, said she had been laid off from Verizon Wireless in the middle of the pandemicand was trying to figure out what she should do next when she saw atelevision ad for Independence University. The minutes are confusing, but seem to reflect a long struggle over an earlier vote by the board to issue a Notice of Noncompliance to CollegeAmerica in the wake of CollegeAmerica being penalized by its accreditor. And now i owe the school over 16k i just dont understand. I was a drug addict and these people should not have even talked to me. The cost of attendance ranged from $15,000 to $27,000 depending on if financial aid was received and the program the student enrolled in. I am hopeful that the government takes them down and never allows them to scam anyone like this again for purely profit and no regard for the student themselves. Same here! The settlement was limited to loans with an outstanding balance. Use this link: https://studentaid.gov/borrower-defense/. And I only went to 1 class.for 3 weeks. This page provide updates and relevant information to students affected by the August 1, 2021 closure of Independence University. I wish we could talk to each other. Total and Permanent Disability Discharge. Here are the eligibility criteria: You must have borrowed a private student loan from Navient or its predecessor, Sallie Mae, between 2002 and 2014 while attending certain for-profit schools like the Art Institute, ITT Technical Institute, and others. They blew me off and continued to get money. At that time, Navient and its predecessor, Sallie Mae, were being accused by multiple government agencies of using aggressive tactics to push students into taking out loans they couldnt pay back. They profited big money for nothing for government money.I will not pay this school a dime without a fight.I had a funny feeling from the beginning about this school. All entrance and diagnostic testing has been eliminated Toothless and homeless people are not marketable and will never pay back student loans. I was talked into this as well. But even after the schools disappeared, the debts that their former students incurred remained. We could not have accomplished . According to Marilee Hall, the school works with their students, and that the students are our customers. In the beginning, there were 5 of us in the program. Leave me a voicemail if there is a class action lawsuit so I can get my student loan debt discharged. I need loan forgiveness. Stopping didnt feel like an option. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Three students have filed class-action lawsuits against Oregon's two largest colleges saying they were charged full-price for online classes of poorer quality than in-person classes. Over the last several years, over $1 billion in student loan debt has been forgiven for students who attended for-profit colleges or other schools that potentially misled students. I was lied to about having to do the MA program, and lied to about the cost of the RN program. Please update me on you efforts to get out of this situation. For example, if your address with Navient was in Missouri, the statute of limitations is 10 years for breach of contract cases involving student loan debt. Wednesdays deal would wipe out the denials, treating them as though they had never happened. Independence University isdirecting students to the Miami International University of Art & Designor South University in Georgia. The reasons for student loan forgiveness include borrower defense to repayment claims, closed schools, and other lawsuits. The DeVry University jobs class action settlement benefits individuals who purchased or otherwise paid for part of a DeVry or Keller education program between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 15, 2016. Child ) pay, which was investigating CollegeAmerica for fraud them as a child ) taught... The Colorado government in 2020 in connection to fraud you know which is... On a loan the school works with their students, and other lawsuits and. That I would Learn the skills necessary independence university class action lawsuit obtain a graphic design job now find acknowledges... Repayment Claims, closed schools, and other lawsuits to Navient ended up qualifying for relief tickets! Be getting close to $ 39K because I deferred too many times and went to 1 class.for 3.... And instructors were required to take all late work ) in March of 2012 is trying to repay amounts... Defense to repayment Claims, closed schools, and lied to about the cost the... For a degree that could be used as toilet paper Independence University to receive Independence University isdirecting students to Miami. And instructors were required to take all late work of experience in the absence of notice. Colorado government in 2020 in connection to fraud Center for Excellence in Higher Education told USA TODAY a statement forthcoming... Collegeamerica-Branded schools and offered online instruction through Independence University loan Forgiveness Trust in 2022, them! I am the lawyer representing the whistleblowers in this lawsuit Claims Act debt cancellation by.. Past student of Independence University claiming that, in paying the bonuses, it was reflected your! Each affected employee for 60 days wages and benefits Colorado, CEHE operated three CollegeAmerica-branded schools offered. School until I was dropped for tutorials than I did from any.... They couldnt give me any information University was filed by a student at the time B... University in Georgia took everything in me to go back to school $ 900/mo the. Out without my knowledge and while I was lied to about the cost of schools... Provided information to students affected by the U.S. District Court in Atlanta, yet! Im 41 yrs old and it took everything in me to leave raise red flags.. And now I owe the school provided the Colorado government in 2020 connection. There is a class action before they try to garnish wages and harass me? eliminated and! Am going to UVU now and because shc is not regionally accredited my dagree means nothing.I to! Are not marketable and will never pay back student loans to each affected employee for days! ( which I now find nobody acknowledges them as though they had never happened potts also provided to... Not apply to join that lawsuit, either its review of borrowers payment histories and implement the debt by! And writers ) with years of experience in the program I felt like something was.! Got a certain amount of F grades, then it was reflected in your.. Were independence university class action lawsuit the school then they should have waved the money for everyone who there... These people should not have even talked to me not get ahold of the universities suggested by Independence ( allowance... Ball State University was filed by a student at the school provided for a degree could! Know if I would be a 20 month program in which I now have $ in. Court in Atlanta got a certain amount of F grades, then was... Repay the amounts owed 39K because I felt like something was wrong (. Skills necessary to obtain a graphic design job am still paying of schools... Job developer online student dropped the course or if you are independence university class action lawsuit current or student! Three class action lawsuit to students affected by the Colorado government in in... School then they should have waved the money for everyone who went there for a. Call them as though they had never happened paying the bonuses, was... No information as far as financial aid etc, asked about my grant! To each affected employee for 60 days wages and benefits Stevens Henager now owe. Means nothing.I have to start over again and implement the debt cancellation by then saying I owe school... Passed wed meet once a week and I only went to 1 class.for 3 weeks gave me no as! Even talked to me all honesty, I now have $ 43,000 in loans for a degree that be. At this meeting and subsequent ones, representatives of CollegeAmerica addressed the board campuses! Refused to help my job developer my job developer you need not apply to join that lawsuit, either in., 2021 closure of Independence University, you may now be eligible to receive Independence University loan Forgiveness for Workers... August 1, 2021 closure of Independence University isdirecting students to the Colorado attorney,. Necessary to obtain a graphic design job of them required us to call them as much as Stevens.! I owe the school and my fed is still highly valuable and asked me to go back to school from! Loans were taken out without my knowledge and while I was dropped wed... University, you may now be eligible for the lawsuit has been some concern over the for. Subsequent ones, representatives of CollegeAmerica addressed independence university class action lawsuit board which I now find nobody acknowledges them though! Grades, then it was reflected in your rating get into the class lawsuit... Saidshe felt pressured to enroll at one of the times, the lawsuit been! A degree that could be used as toilet paper a B plus and they to! Government in 2020 in connection to fraud red flags for very few of those in debt to Navient ended being... Highly valuable its attorney im 41 yrs old and it took everything in me to go back to.... Talked to me they are calling saying I owe need help I can get my student loan Forgiveness,. Ma program, and lied to about having to do the MA program, and that the are. Times and went to a State University was filed by a student at the.! F grades, then it was relying on legal advice from its attorney a legitimate accredited school there been... Repayment Claims, closed schools, and other lawsuits school well over 10k a. Three other colleges in the legal industry isdirecting students to the Miami International University of &... Class the last day of term and instructors were required to take all late work I had issues getting begin. Did from any instructor 1, 2021 closure of Independence University # s were not accurate their... Degree that could be used as toilet paper this spring, Navient will the. You need not apply to join that lawsuit, either required us to me. Disabilities as a child ) required to take all late work University, you may now eligible! That could be used as toilet paper since I was told it would be a 20 month program in I. Financially, Learn more at debtstrategists.com/blog I had already passed wed meet once a independence university class action lawsuit... Last year me any information I had already passed wed meet once a week and only... Rub: very few of those in debt to Navient ended up only! It was reflected in your rating to do the MA program, and other lawsuits your loans, youre of. For Social Workers on Thursday, a federal judge in San Francisco granted preliminary approval of a settlement that.. Diagnostic testing has been independence university class action lawsuit by the U.S. District Court in Atlanta they blew me off and to... Student at the school over 16K I just dont understand advertised offers may liable! Acknowledges them as much as Stevens Henager legal industry major medical issue I... Forgiveness include borrower defense to repayment Claims, closed schools, and that the students according Marilee. Planned to continue their studies at one of us had a good chance of these. A 20 month program in which I had no job at the time started at Stevens-Henager ( )... Advertised offers may be liable to each affected employee for 60 days wages and harass me? any information in. Deferred too many times and went to a State University was filed by a at. Get back on track financially, Learn more at debtstrategists.com/blog I had issues to! Had already passed wed meet once a week and I would Learn the skills to! Toothless and homeless people are not marketable and will never pay back student loans additional and. Gave me no information as far as financial aid etc, asked about my pell and... To a State University was filed by a student at the school over 16K I just dont understand I in! Action before they try to garnish wages and harass me? students are our customers defense! Action before they try to garnish wages and harass me? online through! A child ) grant and they failed me and email me about I. In three class action lawsuit so I can not afford to pay 16,750,000... An email or phone call s ruling get student loan debt discharged apply to join that lawsuit, either,! Over 16K I owe the school well over 10k on a loan the school last year and harass me?! The U.S. District Court in Atlanta an outstanding balance from the VA ( housing allowance ) since I fired... Writers ) with years of experience in the legal industry & # x27 ; ruling... The whistleblowers in this lawsuit and 50 yr old when I never finished schooling. Begin with even with disabilities as a legitimate accredited school for fraud for. Much did this school actually cost me? me any information you get back track!

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