It is rare that a whistleblower prevails against a for-profit educational institution, but Heidi Weber has finally succeeded in doing just that. Her victory originally came in 2013, when she won a $400,000 jury award in her lawsuit against Globe University. Weber had worked as a dean in Globe’s medical assistant program until she was fired after informing authorities about unethical recruiting practices that she says were routinely employed by university staff.
According to Weber, whose office was located adjacent to where admissions representatives were working, the admissions representatives would say just about anything to convince prospective students to enroll, including misrepresenting what graduates of the program could hope to accomplish financially after they graduated, providing overly optimistic job placement rates, and even telling prospective students that they could transfer their credits to other colleges when those colleges would not actually accept them. When Weber started trying to resolve her concerns internally, by speaking with college officials up the chain of command, she was told to keep quiet. When she refused to do so, she was fired. Globe University claims that she was fired because of performance concerns, and not because she accused university officials of wrongdoing.
Globe University is a career school that was established in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1885 as a business school. Since the 1970’s, the college has since expanded into a chain of schools that offers on-campus and online degree and certificate programs. Globe University had been growing by leaps and bounds from 2003 to 2010, opening many new campuses and tripling its enrollment. However, the college has been experiencing significant difficulties since 2010. Heidi Weber’s win against Globe University is one of several problems that the college is currently experiencing. Enrollment has dropped sixty percent since 2010, and the college has been sued by the Minnesota Attorney General, who alleges that Globe defrauded students in its criminal justice program.
Weber’s case is unique in that it is one of the first cases in which a whistleblower was awarded compensation by a jury in a case involving a for-profit college. Other cases have been pursued against colleges for deceptive marketing, but plaintiffs’ victories to date have been few and far between. Unfortunately, Globe appealed Weber’s verdict, so she was unable to enjoy her success until just recently, when the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in her favor in the final round of appeals.
Barrett Law PLLC: Protecting Whistleblowers throughout Mississippi
Heidi Weber’s win against Globe University is encouraging because it shows that it is possible for one person to take on a large institution and succeed. If you were fired, demoted, or otherwise harmed after reporting the unethical practices of your employer, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you pursue a whistleblower claim. Our attorneys will guide you through the whistleblower claims process towards resolution of your case. If you have questions about whistleblower lawsuits, please contact the experienced Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today, at 1 (800) 707-9577, to schedule your free, initial consultation.