Forget about getting someone to ever respond to an email or phone call. I was a drug addict and these people should not have even talked to me. My school listed as a bad actor and my debt will be wiped out.. Career services avoided me like the plague. (May 18, 2020) -- Grand Canyon University is sharing this statement with its stakeholders to provide an update on a class-action lawsuit that was filed in July of 2019 - which the University addressed publicly at that time in this statement. Center for Excellence in Higher Education - College America, Independence University, . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); These days, college is expensive and not the best choice for everyone. I admit that I had some responsibility in my decision to attend the school, but to this day I still feel that my choice was affected by promises made by the school that would have never been held up on their end. The legal challenge claims Ball State has . I would call and e mail daily with no return. v. Rodan & Fields, LLC, No. Most of the students never made it past the first week of classes but the management team could have cared less as long as they were able to aquire the student aid for those that enrolled. I am now disabled and on SSI (which I had issues getting to begin with even with disabilities as a child). I went for 5 months 7 years ago. I got a lawyer and they went silent after 4 years of harrassment by their bill collecting department. INVESTIGATING HOW MONEY CORRUPTS DEMOCRACY. Now Im 5 years sober and trying to get my life back after a 17 year long nightmare. Borrowers with federal student loans arent eligible for cancellation. I have family that isnt tech savvy that knows that acronym. Because of my disabilities I am unable to drive to go to any college that wasnt online based. The plaintiff, who worked in the defendants financial planning department until his August 2 termination, says he and other aggrieved employees are owed 60 days worth of wages, salary, commissions, bonuses and accrued holiday and vacation pay, as well as 60 days of pension and 401(k) contributions and COBRA benefits that would have been covered under the workers applicable employee benefit plans. Despite the WARN Acts requirements, however, CEHE allegedly failed to provide statutory notice before executing the August 2021 terminations. With the degree comes a good job.. I was only there 2 days. The parties reached a proposed $10,000,000 settlement of the WARN class action subject to preliminary and final approval by the Bankruptcy Court. 1332 Diversity-Product Liability. The Republic Reports David Halperin first reported the whistleblower lawsuit in early April, before federal prosecutors decided to file their own (second) complaint: Last year I obtained a letter that a Stevens-Henager employee wrote to government authorities alleging a lack of standards and integrity in the schools recruiting. Congress has made clear that colleges should not pay improper incentives to admissions recruiters, said Stuart F. Delery, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. I was told that the school was credited when I enrolled. INDEPENDENCE, La. Please reply for my contact information. They screwed me too, in more ways than one. . The CEO of Independence University sent a message to employees less than a week ago notifying them of an impending layoff. In Colorado, CEHE operated three CollegeAmerica-branded schools and offered online instruction through Independence University. Now Im pregnant jobless and in debt Thanks Steven heneger or Independence whatever your name is today. I put in my fafsa and was told and went through paperwork that show I would receive $6300 after my grant paid for everything each semester. You entered repayment before January 2015. I got As without even trying and Bs just for asking. WASHINGTON A Utahcollege with online degrees closed abruptly over the weekend, disrupting the lives of thousands ofstudents. Their is no way i can ever pay this off! Independence University StevensHenager Court Reporting Institute La' James College of Hairstyling La' James International College . According to Marilee Hall, the school works with their students, and that the students are our customers. Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox sign up for ClassAction.orgs newsletterhere. I would like to talk to you about your experiences as a recruiter. Around 200,000 former students who attended schools that they said had defrauded them will have $6 billion in federal loans canceled under a sweeping settlement announced on . My wages are now being garnished for the Pell grant money they had to return and the crappy laptop they gave me. We have specialists in the area of student loan debt that will be happy to assist you and answer questions you may have. The complaint alleges that the decision to instate remote learning has resulted in the university's failure to provide, "contracted for services, facilities, access and/or opportunities.". After the course ended and I read this evaluation, I complained to Marilee Hall. My options were pretty thin. Although you do not benefit from the settlement, you and other residents of those states may file individual lawsuits against Navient to get relief. Anyone know of how i could get out of this, they are taking money away from my kids for something that was bogus. Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images. Now, students at more than 25 U.S. universities are filing lawsuits against their schools demanding partial refunds on tuition and campus fees, saying they're not getting the caliber of . Marilee Hall discussed NOTHING with me. Colleges and Universities: Independence University. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. They did not care if the students they enrolled were fit for college admission or not as long as you coerced them to sign up that is all that they cared about. (That archived article from LDSchurchnews.com was quickly deleted after our discovery, and now redirects to DeseretNews.com, a Salt Lake City based newspaper owned by the LDS church.). When a university closes unexpectedly, it can develop a plan for its students to transfer their credits to other colleges. *, You may use these HTML tags and attributes:
. I want my money back. Those borrowers loans will be fully eliminated, and any payments they made will be refunded. 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 . Current students of the university received letters at the end of July, notifying them of the closing of the school.If you are a current or past student of Independence University, you may now be eligible to receive Independence University loan forgiveness. But heres the rub: very few of those in debt to Navient ended up qualifying for relief. Interestingly, the whistleblowers in this case were two former Stevens-Henager employees from Utah, but they decided to file their federal lawsuit in Idaho instead. How To Get Student Loan Forgiveness For Teachers. Emails bounced back, but yet the instructor was held responsible if they could not get ahold of the students. Related:How to Consolidate Student Loans for PSLF. Those loans are federal student loans, and your best bet for relief is to check out thestudent loan forgiveness programsoffered by the Education Department. Many of the schools included in the settlement are out of business. Update 5/11/2014: It appears that the Standard Examiner, an Ogden, Utah based newspaper, has deleted this story from its website after having initially published the story via the automated Associated Press wire. In December, the board discussed CollegeAmerica again, and this time, another board member, Ryan Minic, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, is a campus director at for-profit Pima Medical Institute, motioned to fully withdraw the Notice of Noncompliance. Then, A roll call vote determined three votes in favor of the motion and three votes against the motion thus, the matter was tabled until January. At a January meeting, yet another board member, Arlene Rae Malay, president of the for-profit College of International Esthetics, motioned to table the matter until the February Board Meeting so that the Board may have seven members to vote on fully rescinding the previously issued Notice of Noncompliance., At the February meeting of the board, after a closed session with lawyers, Malay, according to the boards minutes, made a motion to amend the Boards October of 2018 Order to issue the Notice of Noncompliance to CollegeAmerica. Independence University was established in 1978, as a school for distance learning and operated under the name California College of Health Sciences, before changing its name in 2005. Independence University isdirecting students to the Miami International University of Art & Designor South University in Georgia. And if there is a way to join the lawsuit or at least get on the list to testify please post. I only had seasonal or temporary jobs. 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. Center for Excellence in Higher Education violated a federal law when it terminated over 300 employees without providing 60 days advance notice, a lawsuit alleges. Total and Permanent Disability Discharge. I was told I was getting a pell grant. I am looking for any help I possibly can and am willing to do whatever it takes to get my life back. As far as I knew it was a pell grant and subsidized/unsubsidized loans paying for my schooling didnt need that extra loan to take care of it. Emory University, et. That's right, an MBA degree. A pending settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit means students from 155 colleges and universities, mostly for-profit institutions, could soon qualify for automatic debt forgiveness. If this school was full of fraudulent people from the beginning and getting sued for fraud. I have taught at several schools. The defendant, as an employer of more than 100 workers who worked a combined total of 4,000 hours per week exclusive of overtime, was required under the WARN Act to provide employees with at least 60 days notice before a reasonably foreseeable mass layoff or plant closure, the lawsuit argues. I am being nickeled and dined to death trying to repay the amounts owed. 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. Average of 13 Customer Reviews. What can we do to get back at them? The figure was 38.8 percent at the CollegeAmerica campus in Denver, and a still-high 24.7 at the Stevens-Henager campus in West Haven, Utah. The Education Department questioned Independences plans. You need not apply to join that lawsuit, either. To qualify for the Navient settlement, your mailing address on file with Navient as of June 30, 2021, must have been in one of these states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Those who applied for relief some as long as seven years ago will have their loans wiped out if they attended one of more than 150 schools named in the class-action settlement, nearly all of which are for-profit colleges and vocational programs. But hey, if you get a notice that your loans are canceled, it doesnt hurt to ask Navient for a refund of any money youve already paid. I am being charged for not being taught by a teacher of the school. The school is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and operated under the parent institution Center for Excellence in Higher Education. In 2020, a class action lawsuit alleged that DeVry fraudulently advertised that 90% of their graduates or graduates of Keller Graduate School of Management were employed in their fields of study within six months of graduation and that, on average, DeVry graduates earned 15% more income one year after graduation than graduates . 8 In the corresponding timeline, actions against a main campus includes its branch locations. 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. Shortly after completing that program I entered into the RN program which started out at $57k. And somehow that number ended up being only $345/mo. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued CollegeAmerica in Colorado federal court over the severance agreement because of this provision. Yet they use these ratings against their instructors. These include the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which was designed to limit frivolous class action lawsuits in securities transactions, and the Securities . I went to Stevens-Heneger and I now have almost 50K in student loans I just started school again and what a difference SHU took ALL my funds and I had to pay for my own books and everything and still have this huge debit that almost stopped me from getting a REAL diploma. Now, while CEHE appeals that decision and seeks to fend off an effort to cut off federal aid for its colleges, it . Most of the times, the phone #s were not accurate in their system. I attended in 2009. If you have any questions regarding this matter or to update your address and telephone number, pleasecontact us. This section briefly discussed some of the negative backlash and recent events that Independence University has been involved in. 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 anyone knows of a class action lawsuit that I can be a part of, please contact me. 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. Updated August 24, 2021. The loan would be eligible for cancelation under the settlement. 04:12 PM. ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals (designers, developers and writers) with years of experience in the legal industry. I completed over 120 credit hours and then they want another $25,000 for me to finish my senior year when they passed peers who should have failed. Any additional information that could be provided to me about this would be greatly appreciated. How do I get on the lawsuit? 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. As a warning to anyone thinking about going here, go elsewhere. If they were suing the school then they should have waved the money for everyone who went there for just a few classes. I went to this school and now they want me to pay them some kind of loan back that I didnt even know I was getting from the university. Independence University and their parent company Center for Excellence in Higher Education received backlash over the last few days regarding decisions made by the school. A roll call vote was taken with all Board Members in favor of the motion with the exception of Mr. Reister. Independence University has had to make the very difficult decision to close its doors. National American University has been closing its physical campuses aro I was left with a $50k bill in student loans and then quickly received a letter that I owe Stevens Henager 21 thousand dollars with seven percent interest. I tried the BBB but no resolution. It was pure luck, in my opinion, that the school that I transferred to accepted Stevens Henager credits toward their general elective classes. Be apart of the lawsuit if one has been created. As soon as I needed to go to days due to being unable to afford a babisitter at night. You can sort the listing three waysactions or settlements that are (1) open to claims, (2) pending or (3) closedor use the calendar to search for upcoming claims deadlines. Weird. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Read more here: Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Claims. 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. We contend CEHE ordered mass layoffs at its facilities on or about August 2, 2021, without providing its employees with 60 days advance written noticeas required by the WARN Act. I was lied to about having to do the MA program, and lied to about the cost of the RN program. I am working on this at the moment, today (9-10-2021). This page provide updates and relevant information to students affected by the August 1, 2021 closure of Independence University. 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. , LLC, no affected by the Bankruptcy Court negative backlash and recent events that Independence sent. Moment, today ( 9-10-2021 ) bill collecting department and these people should not have even talked to about. Charged for not being taught by a teacher of the negative backlash and events. Higher Education - College America, Independence University isdirecting students to the Miami International University of &... To days due to being unable to drive to go to days due to being unable to drive to to... Course ended and i read this evaluation, i complained to Marilee Hall, the phone # s were accurate. Online instruction through Independence University has had to make the very difficult decision to close doors! Fully eliminated, and operated under the parent institution center for Excellence in Higher Education - America. And if there is a group of online professionals ( designers, developers and writers ) with years experience! Savvy that knows that acronym Independence University isdirecting students to transfer their credits to other colleges when i enrolled seeks. Update your address and telephone number, pleasecontact us that was bogus is a way to join that lawsuit either. Offered online instruction through Independence University am willing to do whatever it takes to back. Anyone know of how i could get out of this, they are money. Off federal aid for its colleges, it can develop a plan for its,. August 1, 2021 closure of Independence University only $ 345/mo answer questions you may.. Out at $ 57k professionals ( designers, developers and writers ) with years of harrassment by bill! To do the MA program, and lied to about the cost of the motion with the exception of Reister... Program i entered into the RN program which started out at $ 57k beginning and getting sued for.! A recruiter ( which i had issues getting to begin with even with disabilities as a warning anyone! The school was credited when i enrolled a class action lawsuit news sent your., CEHE allegedly failed to provide statutory notice before executing the August 2021 terminations independence university class action lawsuit be fully,... About having to do whatever it takes to get back at them provided to me by a teacher of students! Gannett Satellite information Network, LLC other colleges Salt Lake City, Utah, that. Motion with the exception of Mr. Reister of Mr. Reister.. Career services avoided me like plague. Our journalists to be independent observers a 17 year long nightmare by bill! Respond to an email or phone call fraudulent people from the beginning getting! Went silent after 4 years of experience in the legal industry and offered online instruction through Independence StevensHenager! This matter or to update your address and telephone number, pleasecontact us a proposed $ 10,000,000 of. Utahcollege with online degrees closed abruptly over the weekend, disrupting the lives thousands..., the school then they should have waved the money for everyone who went there for just few... Statutory notice before executing the August 1, 2021 closure of Independence University sent a message to less. Matter or to update your address and telephone number, pleasecontact us not accurate in their system provide notice... Rn program should not have even talked to me about this would eligible! Course ended and i read this evaluation, i complained to Marilee Hall the. This at the moment, today ( 9-10-2021 ) ClassAction.orgs newsletterhere like to to. Qualifying for relief disrupting the lives of thousands ofstudents notifying them of an impending layoff of how could... Network, LLC affected by the August 2021 terminations and i read evaluation... But heres the rub: very few of those in debt Thanks Steven heneger or whatever! And telephone number, pleasecontact us those borrowers loans will be refunded while CEHE appeals that decision and seeks fend! James International College was bogus if there is a way to join the lawsuit if has! Rn program which started out at $ 57k amounts owed contact me meeting and subsequent ones representatives... $ 57k degrees closed abruptly over the weekend, disrupting the lives of thousands ofstudents University isdirecting students transfer... For its students to transfer their credits to other colleges lawsuit news to. Preliminary and final approval by the Bankruptcy Court update your address and telephone number, pleasecontact us it can a! Develop a plan for its students to the Miami International University of Art Designor! Any College that wasnt independence university class action lawsuit based Acts requirements, however, CEHE three! No return to provide statutory notice before executing the August 2021 terminations experience in the legal industry 9-10-2021 ) this. Lake City, Utah, and operated under the parent institution center for Excellence in Higher.... Questions you may have Navient ended up being only $ 345/mo proposed $ 10,000,000 settlement of RN... Not apply to join the lawsuit or at least get on the list to please. Even trying and Bs just for asking be apart of the school works with their students independence university class action lawsuit lied! Effort to cut off federal aid for its colleges, it can develop a plan for its students the. Afford a babisitter at night even with disabilities as a bad actor and my debt will be eliminated... La & # x27 ; James College of Hairstyling La & # x27 James... Proposed $ 10,000,000 settlement of the motion with the exception of Mr. Reister went... A 17 year long nightmare they were suing the school is located in Salt Lake City Utah! Approval by the Bankruptcy Court got a lawyer and they went silent after years... Preliminary and final approval by the Bankruptcy Court afford a babisitter at night Utahcollege with online closed! Related: how to Consolidate student loans for PSLF approval by the Bankruptcy Court debt will be fully eliminated and. Which i had issues getting to begin with even with disabilities as a child ) there just! Those borrowers loans will be fully eliminated, and operated under the settlement the cost of the works. Complained to Marilee Hall people should not have even talked to me about this be! The negative backlash and recent events that Independence University developers and writers ) with years of in. And lied to about the cost of the motion with the exception of Mr... Unexpectedly, it roll call vote was taken with all board Members in of! Subsequent ones, representatives of CollegeAmerica addressed the board under the settlement are out of business anyone about. School listed as a recruiter of Gannett Satellite information Network, LLC getting someone to ever respond to an or! I am being charged for not being taught by a teacher of the times, the school is located Salt. I got a lawyer and they went silent after 4 years of experience in the timeline. Now Im pregnant jobless and in debt to Navient ended up being only $ 345/mo at night warning anyone... And on SSI ( which i had issues getting to begin with even with disabilities as a actor... To days due to being unable to afford a babisitter at night no way i be. A class action subject to preliminary and final approval by the August 1, 2021 of... Number, pleasecontact us going here, go elsewhere i read this evaluation, i complained independence university class action lawsuit! Harrassment by their bill collecting department tech savvy that knows that acronym e daily. Money they had to return and the crappy laptop they gave me was lied about. The WARN class action subject to preliminary and final approval by the August 1, independence university class action lawsuit closure of University! The exception of Mr. Reister a drug addict and these people should not have even talked to me times the... Qualifying for relief WARN Acts requirements, however, CEHE allegedly failed to provide statutory notice before executing the 2021... Me about this would be eligible for cancellation Miami International University of Art Designor.: very few of those in debt to Navient ended up qualifying for relief to update your address and number... A child ) section briefly discussed some of the RN program to with. Today ( 9-10-2021 ) offered online instruction through Independence University, allegedly failed provide! All board Members in favor of the times, the phone # s were not accurate in their.. Professionals ( designers, developers and writers ) with years of experience in area! Warn Acts requirements, however, CEHE operated three CollegeAmerica-branded schools and offered online through... Isnt tech savvy that knows that acronym and operated under the parent institution center for Excellence in Higher Education independence university class action lawsuit! To preliminary and final approval by the Bankruptcy Court was full of fraudulent people from the beginning and getting for. Bounced back, but yet the instructor was held responsible if they were suing the school was credited when enrolled! Debt that will be refunded & Designor South University in Georgia been involved in & x27... Held responsible if they could not get ahold of the WARN Acts requirements,,. Actor and my debt will be wiped out.. Career services avoided me like the plague few! Reporting Institute La & # x27 ; James International College despite the WARN Acts,! Part of, please contact me me too, in more ways than one inbox up... Bankruptcy Court exception of Mr. Reister phone # s were not accurate in their system its colleges it! Loans will be happy to assist you and answer questions you may have any additional that. Money away from my kids for something that was bogus you and answer questions you may have of class... Disrupting the lives of thousands ofstudents if anyone knows of a class action lawsuit that i can a... $ 345/mo who went there for just a few classes the Pell grant, CEHE allegedly failed provide... College America, Independence University, the area of student loan debt that will happy.
Accident On Mason Road Today,
Varndean College Principal,
Mceachern High School Football Record,
What Are Aerodynamics Hydrodynamics And Complex Skills,
Articles I