Hundreds of current and former students enrolled in Fanshawe College’s paralegal program are suing the school for “wide-spread negligence and misrepresentation.”
A proposed class-action lawsuit for more than $10 million has been launched in the Superior Court of Justice, naming Ontario’s Fanshawe College and its board of governors.
The claim seeks damages on behalf of hundreds of students enrolled in the college’s paralegal program since 2020.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
The claim includes past, current and international students alleging widespread negligence, extensive negligent misrepresentations and breaches of Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act.
The lawsuit alleges that the college has repeatedly failed to meet the requirements of the Law Society Ontario, leaving students unprepared for licensing examinations and legal practice.
“As students, we were told the instructors were properly qualified,” said Isabel Koestner, one of the proposed representative plaintiffs.
“We were told they held master’s certifications. It has turned out these were ‘online courses’ of a few weeks. We were told they had experience. It has turned out, for example, they had only recently graduated themselves, and their main experience was teaching yoga.”
Another proposed representative plaintiff, Tony Trus, says they were told more than 75 per cent of graduates were working within six months. Through the use of artificial intelligence, he claims the actual number is more like four per cent.
The claim alleges numerous failures to report major changes to the program and make annual declarations and failure to follow academic and field placement requirements.
It also alleges that the college failed to meet minimum instructional hours, meet faculty qualification requirements and teach, properly or at all, the more than 300 required competencies.
The lawsuit claims many of these concerns were identified during a 2018 audit by the Law Society of Ontario, but the college and its board failed to address them.
“Given how vulnerable they are, the claim also raises particular concerns regarding the treatment of international students by Fanshawe College,” said Eric Gillespie, counsel for the proposed class.
“This is a national issue that governments and the public have been raising for some time. Our clients believe it is time to address it. Fanshawe College unfortunately appears to be a prime example of students not being treated fairly.”
The claim will now move forward toward certification.
In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Fanshawe College says they do not comment on any ongoing legal proceedings or issues.
“We are very proud of our track record of high-quality education and student experience for students across the globe,” the spokesperson’s said.