Fanshawe paralegal program set up students to fail, proposed $10M class action alleges
CBC
Fanshawe College has been named in a $10 million proposed class action lawsuit filed by two former students who allege its paralegal program failed to adhere to regulatory requirements and left hundreds of students ill-equipped to become licensed paralegals in Ontario.
The suit also alleges a 2018 audit of the program found deficiencies at the college that its board of governors failed to address.
The statement of claim, filed on Sept. 10 in Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, names Monika Isabel Koestner and Richard Tony Trus as plaintiffs, and Fanshawe College and its board of governors as defendants.
Koestner and Trus attended the Paralegal program, known as PLG1, from September 2022 until January 2023, and are looking to have the action certified on behalf of anyone enrolled in the program after September 2020.
"Fanshawe simply failed to deliver on many of the central commitments to their students. Those include the commitment to teach them required competencies," said Toronto-based Eric Gillespie, lawyer for the plaintiffs.
"That meant people like [Koestner and Trus]… have been left in a position where, when it came time for them to try to pass their licensing exams or go and find employment, they simply weren't properly prepared."
The statements of claim contain allegations not proven in court.
In an email, a spokesperson for Fanshawe said the college does not comment on ongoing legal matters.
"We are very proud of our track record of high-quality education and student experience for students across the globe," said Kyle Rooks.
He added the program, which is re-accredited every five years and audited by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), has never been found deficient by the regulator, and was in good standing during a fall 2023 audit.
CBC News reached out to LSO but did not get a response back by publishing time.
The lawsuit seeks $8 million in damages for breach of contract, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, and/or breach of the Consumer Protection Act.
It also asks for $2 million in punitive damages, and disbursements of $600,000, according to the claim.
The core allegation is that the program wasn't compliant with curricular, faculty and other requirements mandated by LSO.
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