Forty Students File a Lawsuit against The Chicago School of Psychology


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
A group of 40 students
represented by Attorneys Michael E. Reznick and Jan Del Toro, yesterday
filed a class action lawsuit in excess of $30 million against The
Chicago School of Psychology (TCS) alleging that they invested in a
useless education after the management of the school lured them to Los
Angeles and falsely assured them that the new LA campus was accredited
by the American Psychological Association (APA).

When caught by their web of deceit, Defendants told the students that
APA accreditation was "not an issue" and assured them that "the school
would be APA accredited by the time that they graduated."

The petitioners claim that the management of TCS used falsehoods to
attract them to the school's new facilities in Los Angeles, California
in 2008, that they provided them false information and made false
representations in the course of their program regarding the
accreditation of the school by the APA. The petitioners were led to
believe that APA approval would be obtained before their graduation.

The lawsuit is equivocal: "The petitioners were led to believe that the
Los Angeles institution was similar to the one in Chicago... with the
more clement weather being the difference. At no time did the Los
Angeles school have or come close to having this accreditation, unlike
the Chicago campus that has been accredited since 1987. Deceit and
fraud have been the modus operandi of the management of TCS over all
these years" declared Mr. Michael E. Reznick, attorney for the
petitioners.

APA accreditation, without which the doctorate degree in Psychology has
no value on the job market, had been presented to the students as
having been obtained or in the process of being obtained by the
management of the California school throughout the duration of their
studies. Only toward the end of their studies did the petitioners learn
that not only did the school not have this accreditation, but had still
not submitted its application for accreditation to the APA as late as
June 27, 2011.

Whenever students discussed the school's accreditation with the
president or an official of the Los Angeles campus, on the phone and
during information meetings, the information received was deceptive.
During the first phone call, the rector led them to believe that the
school was accredited. During several meetings, Mrs Michelle
Nealon-Woods (who was then the dean of the Los Angeles campus and who
is now the president) and the faculty official, Dr. David Sitzer,
confirmed that the accreditation would be ready before they obtain
their degrees.

In June 2012, the petitioners received a letter from Dr. Sitzer
informing them that the school was not and would not be accredited in
the near future.

"APA accreditation is a determining factor for students. The APA is the
largest scientific and professional organization that represents the
field of psychology in the United States. Many employers, including the
American federal government, state or local governments and hospitals
do not hire anyone whose degree is not obtained from an APA-accredited
institution. My degree is worthless, all these years and money are
lost. I have to start all over if I want to live my dream. I don't know
how I will be able to do that", declared Mrs Shagun Sheena Sachdev, one
of the students involved in the class action.

This deceit has entailed substantial moving costs and tuition fees in
addition to huge student debts only to obtain a worthless doctorate
degree in Psychology that is not recognized by the APA. These students
are now facing an uncertain career and substantial loss of income and
professional opportunities, in additional to untold psychological
distress for having been wilfully misled and deceived.

The lawsuit thus seeks redress for the students in excess of $30 million
and claims punitive damages for the conduct of the defendants claiming
that it was intentional, fraudulent, malicious and oppressive.

A copy of the original procedure (Case NO. BC 495518) may be found at :
http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/civilCaseSummary/

SOURCE ENIGMA COMMUNICATIONS INC.

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