part and denied in part the motion to dismiss. Defendants filed an answer to the complaint on January 13, 2020. Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on January 31, 2020, and defendants filed an amended answer on March 2, 2020. The parties court-ordered mediation on May 20, 2020 has been postponed due to COVID-19. Discovery is ongoing.
On August 13, 2019, a plaintiff, Magana, filed a putative class action lawsuit against Adtalem and DeVry University, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleging damages based on allegedly deceptive statements made about the benefits of obtaining a DeVry University degree. Plaintiffs assert claims under the California Unfair Competition Law, California False Advertising Law, and claims of fraud/material misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment/intentional omission of material facts, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, unjust enrichment, and declaratory relief. This matter is currently stayed.
On June 21, 2018, Stoltmann Law Offices filed a lawsuit against Adtalem in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that Adtalem breached a contract with Stoltmann Law Offices to pay filing fees associated with arbitration claims Stoltmann Law Offices has filed with the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (“JAMS”). Stoltmann Law Offices is seeking specific performance from the court. Adtalem moved to dismiss this complaint on August 3, 2018. Prior to the court ruling on Adtalem’s motion to dismiss, Stoltmann Law Offices and 399 individuals filed an amended complaint on August 9, 2018, asserting claims for specific performance, declaratory judgment and a petition to compel arbitration. Adtalem moved to dismiss the amended complaint on August 31, 2018. The court granted Adtalem’s motion to dismiss on November 30, 2018, but granted plaintiffs leave to file a second amended complaint. A single individual plaintiff filed a second amended complaint on January 3, 2019. Adtalem moved to dismiss the complaint on May 23, 2019. On January 9, 2020, the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss. The court dismissed the petition to compel arbitration, and allowed the claim for declaratory judgment to proceed. Adtalem filed an answer to the complaint on February 10, 2020. A status hearing is set for June 9, 2020.
On June 7, 2019, Stoltmann Law Offices filed a complaint in the Northern District of Illinois on behalf of Michael Forsythe seeking to compel arbitration of his consumer claims before JAMS. Adtalem moved to dismiss the complaint on July 1, 2019. The court dismissed the complaint as moot on January 31, 2020.
Stoltmann Law Offices is representing hundreds of individuals who have filed claims with JAMS alleging fraud-based claims based on DeVry University’s graduate employment statistics. Stoltmann Law Offices has paid the filing fees for 30 of these arbitrations to move forward. JAMS has sent commencement letters in several waves on June 14, 2019; August 2, 2019; August 5, 2019; November 6, 2019; November 15, 2019; November 25, 2019; February 14, 2020; March 13, 2020; and April 15, 2020. Defendants have filed answers in response to NaN arbitration demands. These arbitrations are in various stages of litigation and discovery.
On March 29, 2019, a putative class action lawsuit was filed by Robby Brown, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, against Adtalem and DeVry University, Inc., in the Western District of Missouri. The complaint was filed on behalf of himself and 2 separate classes of similarly situated individuals who were citizens of the State of Missouri and who purchased or paid for and received any part of a DeVry University program. The plaintiffs claim that defendants made false or misleading statements regarding DeVry University’s graduate employment rate and assert claims of breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, unjust enrichment, and declaratory relief. The plaintiffs seek compensatory, exemplary, punitive, treble, and statutory penalties and damages as allowed by law, including pre-judgment and post-judgment interest disgorgement, restitution, injunctive and declaratory relief, and attorneys’ fees. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on May 31, 2019. On October 9, 2019, the court granted in part and denied in part the motion to dismiss. The court dismissed plaintiffs’ claims for unjust enrichment and conversion, allowing the remaining claims to proceed. On October 29, 2019, defendants filed an answer to the complaint. This matter is currently stayed.
On or about April 1, 2019, Adtalem, Chamberlain and DeVry University received similar Civil Investigative Demands (“CID”) from the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”). The CIDs were issued pursuant to a False Claims Act inquiry concerning allegations that Adtalem, in particular Chamberlain and Adtalem’s former subsidiary DeVry University, submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs for federal funds under the GI Bill Programs and Tuition Assistance Program from 2011 to the date of the CIDs. It is specifically alleged that Chamberlain and DeVry University engaged in unlawful recruitment tactics, and provided incentive payments based directly or indirectly on securing federal financial aid. Adtalem cooperated with this DOJ inquiry