State of Hawaii Sues Pacific Western Univ. (Hawaii)

The State of Hawaii, by its Office of Consumer Protection, filed suit today against Pacific Western University (Hawaii), Inc. (a Hawaii corporation). The suit alleges that the defendant violated various provisions of Hawaii's Unaccredited Degree Granting Institutions Law (Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 446E) and seeks injunctive relief, restitution, civil penalties and other equitable relief.

Anyone seeking to view an electronic version of the Complaint may email requests to [email protected].

Jeffrey E. Brunton
Staff Attorney
Office of Consumer Protection
State of Hawaii

 

Hi Jeff!

Does this include American PacWest International University the new name for this school???

RXI

 

Yes, the new name is included as an "aka" in the caption of the lawsuit.

 

For me Hawaii is the first-rate State in take legal actions against the universities that disobey the law. In addition, they do the work in an admirable form.

In what form?

Brunton JD and the State of Hawaii, gives to the universities a first-class Due Process in the courts of justice.

Good move; if they fail, they have to pay.

 

Hallelujah! The LORD God omnipotent reigneth!

...and Brunton is His prophet.

 

To: Jeffrey Brunton and the State of Hawaii's Office of Consumer Protection:

Congratulations! You have done well.

When, upon notification by you that you have initiated steps to sue the un-wonderful and parasitic, unaccredited schools in the great state of Hawaii, and the realization dawns that one of the last safe Haven states in the US for mills and shills is determined to make them pay AND fold their tents - resulting in notorious and outlandish mill shills (RXI & DL J) coming out to ask frantic questions and/or "sing your praises" - THEN should you know that you have hit a raw nerve!

Thank you - and please, do not ever stop!

We want more!

The jabbering of clobbered jaws and scattering of loose teeth among the purveyors of and profiteers from useless substandard degrees are sure signs that Hawaii has landed a well-aimed punch to end all punches to the underbelly of the diploma mill beasts!

More grease to your elbow!

Thanks,

 

Excellent.

This says a lot about California's BPPVE, which tolerated the dual nature of PWU's operations (even though both "schools" were run from California).

The high and mighty BPPVE fails where little ol' Hawaii succeeds. Thanks, Jeffrey.

 

Indeed it does.

 

This is most pleasing and most wonderful. California and the BPPVE should be ashamed that they allow PWU to claim California State Approval.

 

But surely the rules governing unaccredited schools are different in both States.

I am sure that most unaccredited schools (if not all, if the truth was known) in Hawaii stumble and fall on the rule that the school must have 25 locals enrolled. No such law exists in California.

Hawaii State and Mr Brunton is to be congratulated in their use of legal process to rid the State of law breakers. No 'list', no arbitary opinions; just the pure processes of law.

 

I agree!

... and after that, the FBI and state AGs must nuke'em and duk'em ........ for conspiring (with "student" co-conspitators) to defraud the Federal government financially.

Note that the US Homeland Security Act of 2002 amended laws to prohibit the government from reimbursing the costs of academic degree training to federal employees or contractors if the training comes from an unaccredited institution.

As per Hon. Senator Susan Collins' US Senate 2004 hearings and the GAO investigations and stinging report (see http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/dm4.html), KW"U" fraudulently generated bills and receipts on a per credit or per course basis so that some students could receive federal reimbursements to which they were not entitled.

This was a totally deceitful business practice because the shyster substandard entity (KWE) NEVER routinely billed "students" on a per credit or per course basis, but ALWAYS billed them on a per degree (one flat fee per degree) basis!

I say, nuke 'em!

To: Degreeinfo newbies and information-seekers, "Welcome!" and please take heed:

Note the very welcome and strong words of Kay James, Director of U.S. Office of Personnel Management, in May 2004, in a memo to all federal department and agency heads with the subject: “Strengthening Oversight of the Use of Diploma Mill Credentials in Federal Employment.”

"Our position is clear: There is no place in Federal employment for degrees or credentials from diploma mills. Individuals may not use bogus degrees to qualify for federal jobs or promotions; agencies may not send employees to diploma mills for degree training or other forms of education; and agencies may not reimburse employees for tuition or repay their student loans if the training came from a diploma mill.”

My follow-up question to all:

Any guesses as to when the grand state of Kaliforniem will file suit to chase KW"U" out to sea - and forever say good riddance to the entity and others like it which operate from CA territory but claim state licensure from Wyoming or other mill haven states?

Thanks.

 

My guess and fear is never.

1. California residents are not complaining about this place ripping them off because KWU refuses to accept them as students.

2. It would probably be an expensive case to investigate and prosecute. Budgets are being cut back.

3. There are higher priority problems like violent crime and white collar crimes against corporations.

4. There are higher priority California problems (at least IMHO) within the arena of academic fraud like the paralyzation of the BPPVE and places like PWU claiming California state approval.

My guess is that the thing that would most likely change this is if KWU became highly visible to Sacramento for some reason.

 

I guess that the California Education Code would have to be amended to give the state jurisdiction over not only schools operating in California, but over schools operating from out of state addresses under other states' authority, but "run from" California. That's probably something for the legislators, not the BPPVE.

I think that part of the effectiveness of Mr. Brunton's cases is due to the fact that he can file them right there in Hawaii, if schools claim to be operating from Hawaii. He doesn't have to go file his suit in Malaysia or someplace, even if that's where a website's owner really is.

 

One of the recent batch of diploma mill supporters (sorry, I don't remember which one) said that there was a rumor that PWU had a new owner. I assume that even if true that the new owner would be liable for any fines received from Hawaii. Based on previous judgements this could get very expensive.

This brings up a good thing to require of unaccredited schools. A state should require any unaccredited school claiming to operate from the state or having an address in the state to publicly specify who the owner is.

 

Anyone else besides me that wants Jeff's job?

 

I'd love it.

 

I especially like the part where they crash the truck through the gates, then take out the axes and start busting up the barrels....oh, wait, wrong scene.

I imagine there is a great deal of drudgery, combined with some slimey interactions, with some frustrations added, culminating in the occasional victory (with some vanquished parties disappearing).

But we love it so!

 

Go, Hawaii, Go!

Jeffrey Brunton and Hawaii's OCP go to work here .......

...... and PW"U" (and the likes thereof) become trampling grounds for the 200,000-ton, unwonderful-schools-and-degree-mills-destroying dinosaurs!

Yes, we love it!

Thanks, Jeffrey!

(Credit to me_again and netdisaster.com)

 

Last I heard, Kennedy Western isn't operating in California. In fact, they won't even send me a catalog, because I live in California.

If California is supposed to go after Kennedy Western, then presumably the state's Education Code would have to be amended so that the BPPVE has jurisdiction not only over schools operating from California addresses under California authority, but also over schools operating from out of state addresses under some other state's authority, provided that they are actually "run from" California (however that last part ended up being defined).

Jeffrey Brunton is able to file suit against all of these schools in Hawaiian courts because they operate from Hawaiian addresses under Hawaiian legal authority. That gives his office jurisdiction over them regardless of where their owners actually live or where they are "run from".

The corresponding authority in the Kennedy Western case would be in Wyoming.