Six new plaintiffs have sued National American University and several of its former employees or administrators. Until recently, the for-profit school system maintained multiple campuses in the Kansas City metro area, including Independence, Overland Park, Zona Rosa and Lee’s Summit.
On August 8, attorneys for Humphrey, Farrington & McClain added six students to a lawsuit originally filed on behalf of two students in Jackson County Circuit Court. They are seeking damages for fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, civil conspiracy and violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
NAU, a Rapid-City based for-profit school system, like other for-profit schools, participates in federal student loan programs. The lawsuit alleges that National American University purposely entices prospective students to enroll and apply for student loans they cannot pay back through a systematic, deceptive marketing and recruiting schemes.
The scheme, as alleged by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, included false statements by recruiters and financial aid officials about the true cost of attending National American University, the school’s accreditation for specific vocations, the quality of the teachers and courses, employment prospects and career placement services.
Humphrey, Farrington & McClain’s success in taking proprietary schools to court is long-standing. In 2013, the firm sued the owners of the Overland Park, KS-based Wright Career College. The lawsuit started out with four plaintiffs but grew to 264 within a year.
In that case, HFM secured a $3 million settlement that was shared among those plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the NAU defendants.
