Qiuzi Hu, an individual; Edwin Ramirez, an individual; Ivan Ronceria, an individual; Wenzhi Fei, an individual, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated v. Jose M. Plehn-Dujowich, aka Jose M. Plehn, an individual; BizQualify LLC; and Powerlytics Inc.
Published: Apr. 17, 2020 | Result Date: Mar. 2, 2020 | Filing Date: Mar. 22, 2018 |Case number: 3:18-cv-01791-EDL Settlement – $695,000
Court
USDC Northern District of California
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Harmeet K. Dhillon
(Dhillon Law Group Inc.)
Krista L. Baughman
(Dhillon Law Group Inc.)
Gregory R. Michael
(Dhillon Law Group Inc.)
Defendant
Loren Kieve
(Kieve Law Offices)
Facts
Quizi Hu filed a class action lawsuit against Jose Plehn and BizQualify LLC on behalf of university students who paid to conduct research and database updates for Plehn in exchange for letters of recommendation and educational instructions.
Contentions
PLAINTIFFS' CONTENTIONS: Plaintiffs contended that defendants conspired to fraudulently and maliciously recruit foreign and domestic students to enroll in their program. Plaintiffs also contended that defendants entered into contracts to spread false and misleading recruiting materials. Plaintiffs further contended that defendants intentionally failed to disclose the nature of their relationship to each other with plaintiffs with the intent to maximize profits and minimize labor costs.
The students were to get certificates purporting to be from the University of California, Berkeley.
DEFENDANTS' CONTENTIONS: Defendants denied the contentions.
Result
The parties stipulated to a $695,000 settlement. The settlement provides for a full refund of the fees paid by the students in the class, average $2,400/each.
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