On Thu, 21 Jan 2021 22:26:07 +0000 (UTC), drpepper <
drpepper@outlook.com> wrote:
That qualifies most Democrats!
I presume that unnamed university is the highly "acclaimed" Trump
University. :-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_University
Trump University (also known as the Trump Wealth Institute and Trump Entrepreneur Initiative LLC) was an American company that ran a real estate training program from 2005 until 2010. In 2011, amid multiple
investigations, lawsuits and student complaints, it ceased operations.[2] It was founded by Donald Trump.
The organization was not an accredited university or college. It conducted three- and five-day seminars (often labeled "retreats") and used
high-pressure tactics to sell these to its customers. At the introductory seminar, students were urged to sign up for additional classes, ranging from $1,495 seminars to a $35,000 "Gold Elite" program. The operation used many
of the same tactics as predatory colleges: preying on the vulnerable populations, implying that the school offers a fast track to financial security, and creating the impression that the recruiter is a friendly
advisor. It did not confer college credit, grant degrees, or grade its students.
In 2011, the company became the subject of an inquiry by the New York
Attorney General's office for illegal business practices which resulted in a lawsuit filed in August 2013.[6] Three lawsuits were filed asserting that
Trump University engaged in a variety of illegal business practices, ranging from false claims to racketeering. Two were federal class actions: one
against Trump University and its managers, including Donald Trump, and one against Donald Trump personally. A third case was filed in New York State court. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman described Trump
University as a bait-and-switch scheme. An article in the National Review described the organization as a "massive scam".
The 'free workshops' are merely a selling ground for the Defendant Trump U's 3-day seminars and offer little useable content. The training materials we
have reviewed indicate that Trump University 3-day seminar attendees are
taught to prey upon homeowners in financial turmoil and to target
foreclosure properties. ... Defendants falsely assert at these 'free
workshops' that classes are approved continuing education credit for
Realtors, but Trump University courses were not approved by the Texas Real Estate Commission, nor was Trump University an accredited institution with
the legal credentials to call itself a "university.""
Trump University was also the subject of two class actions in federal court. The lawsuits centered around allegations that Trump University defrauded its students by using misleading marketing practices and engaging in aggressive sales tactics.
The office of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in September 2013 that it was considering joining a New York lawsuit against Trump University.[92][93] Four days later, the Donald J. Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to "And Justice for All", a 527 group supporting Bondi's re-election campaign. Following this, Bondi declined to join New York. According to a
Bondi spokesman, Bondi had personally solicited the donation from Trump
several weeks before her office announced it was considering joining the lawsuit. In March 2016, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the IRS about the potentially illegal donation.[96][97] In September 2016, it was reported that the donation
violated laws against political contributions from nonprofit organizations,
and that Donald Trump had reimbursed the foundation from his own money and
paid the IRS a $2,500 excise tax as a penalty.[98] Trump denied the donation was connected to the Trump University lawsuit, saying it was for Bondi's performance as Attorney General.[99] The White House announced in November
2019 that Bondi would be joining its staff temporarily for handling communications about the ongoing impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, prompting objection from ethics watchdogs.
On November 18, 2016, it was reported that Trump had agreed to pay $25
million to settle the two class actions and the New York suit. The
settlement was reached ten days before the San Diego class action was
scheduled to go to trial. $21 million will go to the participants in the
class actions, $3 million will go to New Yorkers not covered by the class actions, and a penalty of up to $1 million will be assessed by the state of
New York for running an unlicensed university.[76] The plaintiff's attorneys agreed to forgo their fees and work pro bono as to maximize the amount that will go to the approximately 7,000 former Trump University students who are part of the case
Trump settled all three lawsuits in November 2016 for a total of $25 million after being elected president.
The Ninth Circuit noted: "As the recent Ponzi-scheme scandals involving
onetime financial luminaries like Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford demonstrate, victims of con artists often sing the praises of their
victimizers until the moment they realize they have been fleeced."
--
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth
and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and
for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall,
always."
-Mahatma Gandhi
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