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Former Nursing Students File Class-Action lawsuit against Hondros College and its CEO; Allege College Defrauded Students Over Program Accreditation

Monday, November 18, 2013

If you have information for the lawyers seeking to help the students in this case, please contact our office at 216.578.1700.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Subodh Chandra or Donald P. Screen

216.578.1700 (o)

Subodh.Chandra AT ChandraLaw.com

Donald.Screen AT ChandraLaw.com

Visit: www.ChandraLaw.com

Former Nursing Students File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Hondros College and its CEO; Allege College Defrauded Students Over Program Accreditation

Complaint alleges that the private nursing school misrepresented the likelihood that its RN program would receive accreditation, and breached an implied agreement with students when it preemptively withdrew its candidacy for accreditation

CLEVELAND, OHIO - Today, two former nursing students at the Independence, Ohio campus of Hondros College, Tabatha Vickery of Mantua, Ohio and Bryan Lynn of Twinsburg, Ohio, filed a class-action lawsuit against the College, alleging that its Chief Executive Officer and other staff members actively recruited new students for its LPN and RN programs, and encouraged current students to continue their enrollment in the programs, while concealing information the College knew would likely result in a denial of accreditation by the National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission ("NLAC"), now known as the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing ("ACEN" or "Accreditation Commission"). (The Accreditation Commission is recognized as the accrediting body for all types of nursing education by, among other government agencies, the U.S. Department of Education.)

When it became clear that the RN program would not receive accreditation, the complaint further alleges, the College affirmatively withdrew its candidacy for that status, breaching an implied contract with students and guaranteeing that they would not graduate from an accredited program. The College also fraudulently misrepresented these reasons for the withdrawal, according to the complaint, falsely claiming "severe inconsistencies in the NLNAC accreditation process" and suggesting improprieties on the part of the Accreditation Commission.

Because most reputable hospitals and healthcare providers hire only graduates from accredited programs, and because most nursing schools accept transfer credits only from such programs, Hondros's action placed students at a significant disadvantage. It even placed their federal financial assistance in jeopardy, according to the complaint.

The proposed class consists of students who enrolled in either the College's LPN or its RN program in the Summer or Fall of 2011. It is believed that approximately three-fourths of these students withdrew from the program when they learned that their diplomas would essentially have no value.

The suit, captioned Vickery et al. v. Hondros College, Inc. et al., Case No. CV 13 817299, was filed in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and is assigned to Judge Joan Synenberg.

Subodh Chandra and Donald P. Screen of The Chandra Law Firm, LLC, www.ChandraLaw.com, represent the representative Plaintiffs.

"Students investing in their education deserve not to be misled by for-profit institutions about whether the students will receive an accredited education with value in the marketplace," Chandra said.

Former Hondros students and others wishing to share information with Plaintiffs' counsel may call 216.578.1700 or send an email to Subodh.Chandra AT ChandraLaw.com or Donald.Screen AT ChandraLaw.com.

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