Former Students Sue Defunct Law School

In 2016 the accreditation section of the American Bar Association placed the Charlotte School of Law on probation, claiming it was admitting unqualified students, and too many of its graduates were failing the bar exam. It was the first time the ABA had taken such an action so students at the school had to make a quick decision, stick it out or abandon ship. Those who stayed made a big mistake. In short order, the U.S. Department of Education canceled the school’s participation in federal student loan programs. That was the death blow for the school, which closed in August 2017. Now hundreds of former students are suing in both state and federal court, either as individuals or as part of a class action. Central to all their claims are allegations that the school concealed the problems that led to the loss of its accreditation and deceived students into taking on enormous debt, an average of $161,000 according to one survey. In court filings the school and its former leaders say that much of what the plaintiffs allege, even if true, would not fall under the heading of fraud or deception, but under educational malpractice, which isn’t a claim recognized by North Carolina law.