By USDR.
After six-and-a-half-years of hard-fought litigation, and on the eve of trial, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP (“Robbins Geller”) secured an historic recovery on behalf of former Trump University students around the country. The settlement provides $25 million to approximately 7,000 consumers, including senior citizens who accessed retirement accounts and maxed out credit cards to enroll in Trump University.
Although some criticize class actions for yielding modest results, the tenacity that Robbins Geller displayed ensured that each class member will receive more than half their money back and as much as a full refund. This means that individual class members will be eligible for upwards of $35,000 in restitution – an extraordinary result.
As Robbins Geller partner Jason Forge explained: “There were a million reasons to walk away from this fight, but one kept us in it: the pursuit of justice. Today, we found it.”
One of the keys to making this such a meaningful recovery for the individuals is that Robbins Geller represented the class on a pro bono basis (i.e., for the public good). By prosecuting this case for more than six years and then agreeing to waive many millions of dollars in attorneys’ fees for thousands of hours of tireless work, Robbins Geller ensured the maximum possible recovery for the class.
“This case was unprecedented in so many ways; it’s only fitting that it ended with an unprecedented recovery for so many people,” Robbins Geller partner Rachel Jensen said. “Our firm put the lives of the class members and the interests of our country before our fees, and for that I could not be prouder.”
Robbins Geller attorneys Patrick J. Coughlin, X. Jay Alvarez, Jason A. Forge, Rachel L. Jensen, Daniel J. Pfefferbaum, Brian E. Cochranand Jeffrey J. Stein obtained this settlement on behalf of Trump University students nationwide.
The cases, Low v. Trump University LLC and Donald J. Trump, No. 10-cv-0940 GPC-WVG and Cohen v. Donald J. Trump, No. 13-cv-2519-GPC-WVG, are pending in the Southern District of California, with the Honorable Gonzalo P. Curiel and Honorable William V. Gallo presiding. The Honorable Jeffrey T. Miller ably assisted the parties in resolving the cases.
Robbins Geller is widely recognized as one of the leading law firms advising and representing clients in complex litigation, including securities fraud, corporate takeovers, shareholder derivative claims, consumer fraud, antitrust, insurance fraud and intellectual property, as well as whistle blower protection and qui tam suits. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller has obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history and was ranked first in both total amount recovered for investors and number of securities class action recoveries in ISS’s SCAS Top 50 Report for the last two years. Robbins Geller attorneys have shaped the law in the areas of securities litigation and shareholder rights and have recovered tens of billions of dollars on behalf of the Firm’s clients. Robbins Geller not only secures recoveries for defrauded investors, it also strives to implement corporate governance reforms, helping to improve the financial markets for investors worldwide. Please visit rgrdlaw.com for more information.
The Attorney General of New York also weighed in:
Atorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued the following statement on the $25 million settlement agreement reached in Trump University case:
In 2013, my office sued Donald Trump for swindling thousands of innocent Americans out of millions of dollars through a scheme known as Trump University. Donald Trump fought us every step of the way, filing baseless charges and fruitless appeals and refusing to settle for even modest amounts of compensation for the victims of his phony university. Today, that all changes. Today’s $25 million settlement agreement is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university.
I am pleased that under the terms of this settlement, every victim will receive restitution and that Donald Trump will pay up to $1 million in penalties to the State of New York for violating state education laws. The victims of Trump University have waited years for today’s result and I am pleased that their patience–and persistence–will be rewarded by this $25 million settlement.