News
Landmark Borrower Defense Settlement to Cancel Over $6 Billion in Student Loans for 200,000 Borrowers | Release
Student borrowers filed a joint motion for approval of a settlement with the US Department of Education in the class action lawsuit Sweet v. Cardona.
Former Corinthian Students Claim Victory at the Department of Education’s Debt Cancellation Announcement | Press Release
Today, the Department of Education announced that it will cancel all federal student loans from Corinthian Colleges, the chain of for-profit colleges known for scamming and defrauding borrowers.
Statement On Student Loan Discharge for Borrowers Cheated by Marinello Schools of Beauty | Press Release
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced that 28,000 borrowers who attended Marinello Schools of Beauty will receive loan discharges totaling approximately $238 million, as part of a group borrower defense discharge.
The Biden Administration’s DOJ Continues to Shield DeVos in Borrower Defense Proceeding | Press Release
Student borrowers in the lawsuit Sweet v. Cardona (formerly Sweet v. DeVos) on Monday filed a response to a court request asking whether the issue of deposing former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos should be reheard “en banc” in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. If granted, a panel of judges in the Ninth Circuit would reconsider whether Plaintiffs will be allowed to depose former Secretary DeVos about her knowledge surrounding the Department of Education’s long-delayed borrower defense process.
Student Borrower Advocates Ask Education Department to Cancel 25+-Year-Old Debts from Closed For-Profit Colleges | Press Release
Student borrower advocates submitted a group closed school discharge request today to the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of all student borrowers, including their clients, who attended a for-profit school listed in the Department’s official closed school search file with a closure date prior to January 1, 1994. Due to the timing of their loans, these borrowers lack access to alternative borrower defense rights to cancel their loans.
Student Borrowers File New Brief in Lawsuit Regarding Borrower Defense Delays and Backlog | Press Release
Today, student borrowers submitted a new filing in the lawsuit Sweet v. Cardona regarding the U.S. Education Department’s ongoing delays in processing borrower defense claims. The filing follows Judge William Alsup’s request for a status update as to what is taking so long to resolve the claims. Several borrowers have written directly to Judge Alsup in recent months seeking answers.
Education Department’s Student Loan Discharges Represent Only 6% of Unresolved Borrower Defense Claims | Press Release
Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will cancel $415 million in federal student loans for approximately 16,000 borrowers, including former students of the for-profit colleges ITT Tech, Corinthian Colleges, DeVry University, Westwood College, Marinello Schools of Beauty, and Minnesota School of Business/Globe University. The Department described its findings as “instances in which students were misled into loans at institutions or programs that could not deliver what they’d promised.”
New Report Details Massive Scale of Fraud and Abuse at Notorious For-Profit College ITT Tech | Press Release
The Project on Predatory Student Lending today released a new report detailing the massive scale of fraud and abuse by the defunct for-profit college ITT Tech. The report, “Dreams Destroyed: How ITT Technical Institute Defrauded a Generation of Students” was made public and sent today to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. It presents the largest volume of evidence compiled on ITT, including thousands of ITT’s own internal records. The documents unequivocally show that ITT was not a legitimate educational institution: it systematically and brazenly lied to students in order to profit from their federal financial aid.
Statement On Navient Settlement Cancelling $1.85 Billion in Predatory Student Debt | Press Release
Today, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, joined by a coalition of 38 attorneys general, announced a settlement with private student loan lender Navient. Under the settlement, Navient will provide relief totaling $1.85 billion to resolve allegations of widespread unfair and deceptive student loan servicing practices and abuses in originating predatory student loans.
Statement on Extension of Student Loan Payment Pause
President Biden today announced a 90 day extension of the pause on federal student loan repayment, which will now continue through May 1, 2022, rather than ending on February 1, 2022. The announcement cites ongoing concerns with the pandemic and economic recovery.