The Sequoia Law Firm

12/20/2021

https://protectborrowers.org/income-share-agreement-company-and-for-profit-school-sued-for-deceptive-practices-and-illegal-lending/

Two former students, with the support of the SBPC, filed lawsuits against a predatory online bootcamp scheme and a nationwide provider of ISAs, alleging widespread deceptive practices, illegal lending, and unlawful collection of student loans.

12/20/2021

https://www.protocol.com/fintech/leif-elevate-lawsuit

“This isn’t a Tinder date”: A lawsuit alleges the CEO of an income-share agreement provider sent threatening emails to an unhappy bootcamp student.

09/15/2021

Make School bailed on its own students and left them in mountains of debt. Great reporting here tries to piece it all together.

Documents and interviews reveal that coding school Make School depended on a high-risk business model and questionable tactics that ultimately led to trouble for everyone involved.

07/01/2021

I am honored to be representing a group of former students who were tricked into an exorbitantly expensive and predatory kind of student loan known as an income share agreement. Not only were students lied to about the true long-term cost of these agreements, but the for-profit coding academy they attended was operating unlawfully for years without the necessary state approval in open violation of California law. The Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education ordered it to pay students back and halt operations, and it did neither. Instead the ISA provider and the school continue to aggressively collect thousands of dollars a month from students. It's time for the borrowers to get the relief they deserve. Huge thank you to the Student Borrower Protection Center for supporting us in this effort and spreading the word.

A group of 47 former students announced a groundbreaking lawsuit against Make School, Inc., a venture capital-backed operator of a for-profit coding academy, and Vemo Education, Inc., the largest provider of a risky kind of private student loan known as an Income Share Agreement.

03/30/2021

Jazzed to be working alongside Nichols Kaster and Stephan Zouras in this important CA lawsuit against Geico for unfairly profiting off of the COVID pandemic.

Insurance giant GEICO did not “Giveback” to customers as promised and unfairly profited off the COVID-19 pandemic, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

11/13/2020

https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-alleges-machine-zone-epic-action-turned-final-fantasy-xv-a-new-empire-into-an-illegal-money-making-scheme

A class action alleges Machine Zone and Epic Action's Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire mobile app uses false and misleading advertising to get players to spend money in-game.

09/15/2020

It is an abuse of the court system rope low-income customers into high interest loans, fail to negotiate reasonable payment plans, and then resort to empty litigation threats in order to turn a profit. It wasn't okay pre-pandemic, and it certainly is not okay now.

propublica.org/article/the-loan-company-that-sued-thousands-of-low-income-latinos-during-the-pandemic?utm_source=pocket-newtab&fbclid=IwAR2eW5_EPUrGpxs-_Uk0nKPVnZVVzuGKRfrLFMhqA6hSnO-e1IKED1IthMM

06/24/2020

Not surprised one bit ...

A U. S. Department of Education official has filed a whistleblower complaint, alleging that the Trump and DeVos administration deliberately made it harder for student loan borrowers to apply for a loan forgiveness program.

04/28/2020

Gavin Newsom must have read our latest post. Per Executive Order N-57-20, debt collectors cannot garnish COVID-19-related financial assistance. Hurray!

Announces deal to expand student loan relief for 1.1. million Californians Governor also signs an executive order to stop debt collectors from garnishing individual COVID-19-related financial…

04/21/2020

The opening up America again guidelines put the onus on businesses to protect workers and consumers during the pandemic. But if those businesses are negligent in doing so, those businesses should be immune from lawsuits, say republicans. That isn't right.

Major U.S. business lobbying groups are asking Congress to pass measures that would protect companies large and small from coronavirus-related lawsuits when states start to lift pandemic restrictions and businesses begin to reopen.

04/17/2020

Stimulus checks are not for debt collectors and creditors. Here's you need to know:

Stimulus checks have started arriving in many people’s bank accounts by direct deposit. That is good news for the millions of out-of-work Americans that desperately need the money to feed their families, pay rent and utilities, and obtain other basic necessities. But there is a dangerous loophole ...

04/15/2020

I love everything about this. Large companies have worked tirelessly to keep consumers out of court by forcing them to arbitrate. Way to flip the script and bring arbitration claims against companies in mass using tech. Bravo!

A startup called FairShake and a lawyer from Chicago are challenging corporate bans on classwide arbitration by filing a deluge of arbitration claims against companies.