The State of California on Monday filed suit against a defunct computer training school for closing its doors without refunding to students US$2.5 million in tuition fees for courses they were never able to take.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown and San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis filed suit in San Diego County against MicroSkills San Diego LLC and its two owners for bilking 350 students out of tuition fees of as much as $25,000 each.
In addition to MicroSkills, the defendants include Pars Assets LLC, owners Firouz Memarzadeh and Farah Memarzadeh, who are husband and wife, and the Memarzadeh Family Trust.
MicroSkills operated from 1999 until October 2006 in San Diego, offering computer training. The complaint accuses the owners and operators of soliciting students to enroll even as the owners knew the school was going to close Oct. 20, and of promising refunds but never providing them.
California law requires that when a private for-profit vocational school closes it must refund, within 30 days of closing, tuition for all classes that were not provided. The plaintiffs say none of the students' money was returned.
In addition to the tuition, the suit seeks $2 million in civil penalties.
The defendants and their attorneys could not be reached for comment.
