Plaintiff Heidi Weber sued Globe University in 2011, alleging it retaliated against her by firing her after she raised concerns about the school’s admissions and other practices. On August 15, 2013, she finally received the vindication she had been seeking for over two years. After a week-long trial, the jury in Washington County, Minnesota, returned a verdict in favor of Ms. Weber and against Globe University. The jury awarded Ms. Weber $395,000 in damages, which was comprised of $205,000 in lost wages, as she has been unable to secure employment since her termination, and $190,000 for emotional distress. The jury deliberated for only ten hours before reaching its verdict.
Ms. Weber was Dean of the Medical Assistant Program at Globe University, at its Sioux Falls, South Dakota, campus. Ms. Weber accused the university of falsifying job placement prospects, targeting students who had little to no prospects of acceptance at other universities because of criminal backgrounds and related issues, and changing accreditation agencies without informing the student body of this change in status. When she raised these concerns with Globe University, rather than addressing Ms. Weber’s concerns, Globe University fired her. As a result, Ms. Weber filed suit against Globe University under Minnesota’s whistleblower protection laws.
According to Ms. Weber, the university’s only focus was increasing enrollment to the detriment of the student body, and exposing this was her goal in brining the lawsuit. Globe University argued that Ms. Weber was terminated for poor job performance. Additionally, its attorneys argued that Ms. Weber did not prove that the allegations she raised against Globe University constituted violations of the Minnesota whistleblower protection laws and that irrelevant and prejudicial evidence was allowed in, which improperly affected its deliberations.
In a similar lawsuit, which remains pending in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Jeanne St. Clair sued Globe University for firing her after she complained that it was exaggerating its job-placement rate. Ms. St. Clair is also a former dean at the university. She was employed by Globe University from January 2009 through October 2011, at various campus locations in Minnesota. The Complaint alleges that Ms. St. Clair likewise raised concerns over Globe University’s inflation of graduation and placement rates, as well as misleading students about its accreditation status. The lawsuit is scheduled to proceed to trial next year.
Globe University is a university with both on-campus programs (multiple locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota), as well as on-line programs. It is based on Woodbury, Minnesota, and offers degrees in over forty different areas.
Several weeks after the verdict in favor of Ms. Weber, on October 2, 2013, her attorneys filed a class-action lawsuit against Globe University on behalf of former and current students. The lawsuit alleges that Globe University misleads potential students in an effort to increase enrollment; admits students based on their financial resources rather than educational qualifications; misleads students about or obscures its accreditation status; misleads students about the transferability of credits; misleads students about its placement rates; and misleads students of post-graduation salary expectations.
If you are an employee who has been terminated or otherwise suffered from an adverse action because you raised concerns about the illegality or impropriety of your employer’s actions, Barrett Law PLLC, can help. We help protect the rights of whistleblowers as well as their legal interests. Contact us today at (601) 790-1505 to schedule an initial consultation.
