On September 30, 2014, the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed dismissal of an alleged consumer fraud and breach of contract class action that had been filed against our client Stratford Career Institute. Attorneys Stephanie Scharf, Sarah Marmor, George Sax and Virgina Kim, assisted by paralegals Jean Casserly and Ursula Forhan, represented Stratford at the trial level and on appeal. The gist of the complaint was that Stratford’s marketing of its distance learning program violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and also constituted breach of contract. The trial court’s dismissal was based on various grounds, including plaintiffs’ failure to allege common questions of law and fact. In affirming dismissal, the Appellate Court held that the plaintiffs were inadequate class representatives and did not have viable individual claims against Stratford as a matter of law. A copy of the Appellate Court’s opinion is attached here.
