Legal News

Art school owners sued for defrauding immigrants

By Richard Binder

Dozens of immigrant families say they were duped into paying tuition for classes at several art schools that ultimately folded, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Trisha Ying Zi Zhang and Edgar Kuckelkorn, the owners of the Montecito Fine Arts Inc. schools, allegedly took prepaid tuition even though they knew the campuses were in financial trouble. Close to 80 parents and students claim in the suit that the owners aggressively marketed the schools to Chinese immigrants who spoke limited English.

Majid Foroozandeh Shahraki, an attorney for the company, called the closings "a sign of the economy."

The families are seeking restitution and an injunction to prevent the directors from perpetrating what their attorneys call unfair business practices.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on June 30, 2010 (boomark / email).