A federal appeals court upheld the $25 million settlement agreement in the class action lawsuit against Trump University. Students accused the now defunct for-profit education company of fraud for using misleading marketing practices.
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Simpson, a bankruptcy lawyer in Florida, wanted to opt out of the agreement and pursue her own lawsuit against President Donald Trump. Simpson paid $19,000 for classes and a mentorship program offered by Trump University.
The lawyers representing Simpson argued that the earlier notice sent to Trump University participants indicated that they have the right to drop out of the class action lawsuits immediately or after any settlement proposal.
The court of appeals disagreed and stated that the notice to class action participants promised only one opportunity to opt out. The district court did not abuse its discretion in approving the settlement.
District court acted well by approving Trump University settlement
In its ruling, the court of appeals stated, “Both classes of plaintiffs would have faced significant hurdles had they proceeded to trial, including the difficulty of prevailing in a jury trial against either the president-elect (if the trial had proceeded as scheduled) or the sitting president. Under these challenging circumstances, the district court acted well within its discretion by approving the settlement.”
