Welcome to the Bobbitt v. Academy
of Court Reporting, Inc. Class Action Website
SETTLEMENT
CHECKS TO BE MAILED ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 15, 2009
Settlement checks are to
be mailed directly to claimants by the Claims
Administrator, Garden City Group, on or about December
15, 2009. Questions regarding settlement payments or
the mailing of checks should be directed to the Claims
Administrator at (888) 404-8013. Each claimant who
submitted a valid claim will receive a settlement check
totaling 30.997% of their Tuition Amount as determined
by the Claims Administrator. Claimants can locate their
Tuition Amount on the Acknowledgment of Receipt of Valid
Claim And Statement of Tuition Amount Determination and
Program Completion Determination form previously sent to
them, or on a Dispute Resolution Form previously sent to
them, for those claimants who disputed the Tuition
Amount. Questions regarding these forms should be
directed to the Claims Administrator at (888) 404-8013.
All disputes are now final and resolved. The case is
settled. The Court has approved the settlement and
dismissed the case. The litigation is now concluded.
Overview of Class Action
In February 2007, a
class action lawsuit known as Bobbitt, et al., v.
Academy of Court Reporting, Inc. and Delta Career
Education Corporation, Civil Action No.
2:07-cv-10742 was commenced in Detroit in the United
States District Court for the Eastern District of
Michigan. The case was certified as a class action in
June 2008.
In the lawsuit, current
and former students of the Academy of Court Reporting,
Inc. in Michigan sued the Academy of Court Reporting,
Inc. and its parent company Delta Career Education
Corporation (collectively referred to as the "Academy")
alleging that the Academy misrepresented to students
that they could receive an associate degree from the
Academy’s Michigan campus when the Academy was never
authorized to issue associate degrees in Michigan. The
Court allowed the lawsuit to be a class action on behalf
of all students who started or continued a program at
any time between January 1, 2000 and the present who
were told by Academy officials they could receive an
associate degree from the Academy’s Michigan campus or
were presented with a purported associate degree by the
Academy. The Court did not decide whether the Academy
did anything wrong.
The Court decided that
attorneys George Googasian, Thomas Howlett and Dean
Googasian of The Googasian Firm, P.C, of Bloomfield
Hills, MI, were qualified to represent all Class
Members. The law firm is referred to as "Class
Counsel." These attorneys can be contacted at (877)
540-8333.
On July 21, 2009, the
Court granted preliminary approval of a proposed
settlement and ordered that all class members be sent
notice of the proposed settlement. The Court ordered
that notices be mailed to class members by August 7,
2009. Class members desiring to seek money and other
benefits created by the proposed settlement were to
submit a claim form postmarked no later than September
18, 2009. The claim forms were subject to a
verification process by the Claims Administrator and
claimants were given an opportunity to dispute
determinations by the Claims Administrator relating to
their Tuition Amount and Completion Determination.
On October 15, 2009, the
Court entered an order approving the settlement. The
settlement is final and the case has been dismissed.
All disputes are now final and resolved. Checks to
class members are to be mailed on or about December 15,
2009. The litigation is now concluded.
Settlement checks
are to be mailed on or about December 15, 2009.
Additional Information
Additional information
about the case can be found in court documents, some of
which are accessible by clicking
here.
Still
Have Questions?
If you still have
questions, you can call Class Counsel at 1-877-540-8333
or e-mail a question to them at
academyclassaction@googasian.com.
You can also contact the Claims Administrator at (888)
404-8013.
You can obtain more
information about Class Counsel at
www.googasian.com
Please Note
The Following Important Dates: |