07-17-2012, 06:20 PM
Seems to be a trend. Bridgepoint Education, the parent company of Ashford and U of the Rockies, just got hit with a class action suit too:
Quote:ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN & DOWD LLP FILES CLASS
ACTION SUIT AGAINST BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION, INC.
July 13, 2012 – Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP (“Robbins Geller”) (http://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases/bridgepoint/) today announced that a class action has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on behalf of purchasers of Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (“Bridgepoint”) (NYSE:BPI) common stock during the period between May 3, 2011 and July 6, 2012 (the “Class Period”).
If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than 60 days from today. If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff’s counsel, Darren Robbins of Robbins Geller at 800/449-4900 or 619/231-1058, or via e-mail at djr@rgrdlaw.com. If you are a member of this class, you can view a copy of the complaint as filed or join this class action online at http://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases/bridgepoint/. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.
The complaint charges Bridgepoint and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Bridgepoint is a for-profit provider of postsecondary education services. The Company’s academic institutions include Ashford University (“Ashford”) located in Clinton, Iowa, and University of the Rockies located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as online institutions.
The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, defendants issued materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business and prospects. Specifically, defendants concealed accreditation problems with the Company’s Ashford campus. As a result of defendants’ false statements, Bridgepoint stock traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period, reaching a high of $30.50 per share on July 22, 2011.
The complaint alleges that in May and June 2011, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (“WASC”) and its eligibility review committee notified Ashford of several concerns it had regarding the institution’s future accreditation. Thus, by the Spring of 2011, at the latest, the Company had been advised that Ashford’s accreditation was at risk. Then, on July 9, 2012, Bridgepoint filed a Form 8-K with the SEC disclosing that on July 5, 2012, Ashford had received an official notice denying its accreditation application by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the WASC. On this news, Bridgepoint stock plunged $7.25 per share to close at $14.25 per share on July 9, 2012, a decline of nearly 34% on volume of 1.2 million shares.
According to the complaint, the true facts, which were known by the defendants but concealed from the investing public during the Class Period, were as follows: (a) the Company had failed to implement plans, procedures and practices to sufficiently assist students in staying with the programs they enrolled in and complete the courses; (b) the Company failed to align resources with educational requirements such that students were not benefitting from the resources available and were therefore not progressing to an acceptable level; ( c) Ashford failed to maintain a sufficient core of faculty and programs to develop faculty, leading to poor teaching and poor completion rates by students; (d) Bridgepoint had inadequate review procedures such that shortfalls were not quickly identified and remedied; and (e) Ashford failed to maintain an empowered and independent governing board.
Plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of all purchasers of Bridgepoint common stock during the Class Period (the “Class”). The plaintiff is represented by Robbins Geller, which has expertise in prosecuting investor class actions and extensive experience in actions involving financial fraud.
Robbins Geller represents U.S. and international institutional investors in contingency-based securities and corporate litigation. With nearly 200 lawyers in nine offices, the firm represents hundreds of public and multi-employer pension funds with combined assets under management in excess of $1.5 trillion. The firm has obtained the largest recoveries in history in six of the eight categories of shareholder class action settlements and has been ranked number one in the number of shareholder class action recoveries in MSCI’s Top SCAS 50 every year since 2003. According to Cornerstone Research, the firm’s recoveries have averaged 35% above the median for all firms over the past seven years (2005-2011). Please visit http://www.rgrdlaw.com for more information.