ST. LOUIS (Legal Newsline) — A St. Louis private university is facing a claim it fraudulently told students its masters of counseling program was nationally accredited.
Jeanie Rhoads filed a complaint Nov. 3 in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County against Webster University alleging fraudulent misrepresentation, fraud and other claims. The defendant has since removed the case to federal court.
Rhoads, according to her complaint, was accepted to Webster's masters in counseling program. She claims on August 16, 2021, she and other students in the program were notified the school lost its Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) accreditation and would need to complete a new "self study."
Rhoads claims her decision to attend Webster was based on the school's "multiple statements" assuring her the program was accredited and that any accreditation issues would be worked out by the school. She further claims in November of 2021, she was notified that she would be "grandfathered in" as having graduated from an accredited program, but in March of 2022, students were informed Webster's program is not accredited and students had less than 24 hours to withdraw in order to receive a full refund.
Rhoads seeks monetary relief, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Gene Graham, Jr., Deborah Blakely and Taylor Arri of White, Graham, Buckley & Carr LLC in Independence, Missouri.