CHICAGO — A woman has filed a class action lawsuit against the company that operates Cortiva Insitute, alleging she and other students were defrauded and exploited.
Lanetta M. Thomas, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on Aug. 20 in Cook County Circuit Court against Seg. Cort LLC, which does business as Cortiva Institute, alleging unjust enrichment and fraud.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff enrolled in December 2018 to attend Cortiva's Chicago Loop campus as a full-time student in their Professional Massage Therapy diploma program. The plaintiff said she expected to graduate in August 2019.
The plaintiff said she received subsidized loans from the U.S. Department of Education, which totaled $17,250. The plaintiff said she regularly attended classes, but in March 2019 the defendant failed to provide the services that were required for the program's study, including failing to provide instructors for classes, and cancelling and rescheduling classes without advance notice. The plaintiff said she received an email from Cortiva in April 2019, stating the campus would be closing on June 20, 2019 and that her options were to expedite the education and complete it early; withdraw and transfer to another school; or withdraw and receive a full refund. The plaintiff said she has tried to withdraw and transfer her credits to another school, but the credits were not accepted by the transfer school. The plaintiff attempted to get a refund from the defendant, but the defendant allegedly has failed to honor their promise.
The plaintiff is seeking declaratory judgment against the defendant, compensatory damages, attorneys' fees and court costs, interest and just relief. The plaintiff is represented by attorneys Larry D. Drury and Thomas M. Rebholz of Larry D. Drury Ltd., in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court Case number 2019-CH-09587