College accused of misleading students is ordered to pay Kentucky $22,960 – Lexington Herald Leader
Both sides claimed victory Tuesday after a judge entered a ruling in a case about whether a for-profit college misled prospective students.
Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Travis ordered American National University of Kentucky, formerly National College, to pay $22,960.
The attorney general had sought a civil penalty of up to $2.7 million, arguing that between 2008 and 2011, the school violated the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act by intentionally misleading prospective students about its employment rates.
The penalty the judge imposed was tied to whether the school “willfully” deceived students.
Travis ruled that the school was willful in its use of employment rather than placement rates for much of the time covered in the lawsuit. But in several instances, the judge said the state had failed to prove that the school was willful in its conduct.