LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Two California residents are suing a for-profit university and its parent company, alleging they used aggressive recruiting practices to enroll as many students as possible.
Praxedes Leon and Leonor Diaz filed a lawsuit Dec. 10 in California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles against The University of Phoenix, Apollo Education Group, and Does 1-100, alleging violations of California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act, unfair and deceptive business practices, and fraud or deceit.
The suit states the University of Phoenix, like most for-profit educational corporations, receives most of its revenue from federal financial aid sources, such as Stafford Loans and other Federal Supplemental Educational Loans.
According to the complaint, the defendants engage in illegal, unfair, and deceptive practices to enroll as many students as possible and thereby receive the most amount of federal funding from the enrolled students.
University of Phoenix recruiters, the lawsuit states, used aggressive, deceptive, misleading, and fraudulent tactics to persuade the plaintiffs and others to take on large debt to enroll in the school.
Leon, Diaz and others in the class seek restitution and compensatory damages of more than $75,000, general damages, disgorgement, punitive and exemplary damages, attorney fees and costs of the suit. They are represented by attorney Michael T. Carr of the Law Offices of Michael T. Carr in Monrovia, California.
The defendant removed the case to Los Angeles federal court Feb. 26.
California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles Case number TCO2833