A handful of students who recently graduated from West Virginia Business College with unaccredited degrees are planning to file a lawsuit against the school.
The complaint alleges that three students were harmed by the college’s “deceptive conduct and breach of contract obligations” by the school’s assurance that it was in sound shape.
In April, the college lost its accreditation and permit to operate in West Virginia.
The students seek compensatory and punitive damages from the school. Charleston lawyer Rusty Webb, who is representing the students, wants a judge to certify the lawsuit as a class action, so other students may be covered by it, as well.
Webb provided a copy of the nine-page complaint to the Gazette-Mail. He said the lawsuit was to be filed Monday afternoon in Harrison Circuit Court. An employee in the Circuit Clerk’s Office could not confirm late Monday that the lawsuit had been filed.
College officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The private, for-profit college has campuses in Wheeling and Nutter Fort.
In April, the governing body that oversees all two-year colleges in West Virginia revoked the college’s permit to operate. The Council for Community and Technical Education based its decision on the school losing its accreditation about two weeks before that.
The college had been accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.