Case No. 2018-CH-04872 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty.)
DeVry University Settlement
If you have questions related to cashing a check you may have received, your settlement payment, other questions about the settlement, please contact BrownGreer PLC, the new Settlement Administrator at DeVryUniversitySettlement@browngreer.com or 1-833-913-4211.
Important! On 9/17/24, Class Counsel filed a status report with the Court that provides a timeline for closing down the settlement program and redistributing remaining funds. If you were issued a final recalculated settlement check on 7/18/23 or a re-issued version of that check, and have not cashed that check, you have until 10/15/24 to do so. After 10/15/24, all final recalculated settlement checks will be void and you should not try to cash them. If you need your check reissued, please contact the Settlement Administrator as soon as possible at DeVryUniversitySettlement@browngreer.com to receive further instructions. The Settlement Administrator will not re-issue any final recalculated settlement checks requested after 10/15/24.
The final recalculated payment checks were mailed on Tuesday, 7/18/23. Class Members who are eligible to receive a payment but do not receive the check, may contact us at DeVryUniversitySettlement@browngreer.com to request the check be re-issued beginning on August 1, 2023. This will allow time for checks to arrive by mail.
In preparation to issue the final recalculated payments, the Settlement Administrator stopped processing Reliance Payments on Friday, February 17, 2023.
The following is a status update for Class Members in the McCormick v DeVry University settlement (the "Settlement"). On Friday, October 21, 2022, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC (“Kroll”), the company that was originally hired to administer the Settlement, mailed settlement payment checks. Soon after, Kroll determined that there were miscalculations in the amounts of the settlement checks, overpaying some, and underpaying others. Kroll acted independently, without consulting the court and counsel for the Settlement Class, to issue “stop payment” orders on all settlement checks. Counsel for the Settlement Class filed a Stipulation and Proposed Order Resolving Interim Settlement Administration Issues (“Stipulation”) to the Court, that can be viewed on the Settlement website here, requesting that Kroll be removed and replaced as Settlement Administrator. The Court approved the Stipulation and approved the appointment of BrownGreer PLC as the new Settlement Administrator.
If you received a settlement check from Kroll, do not cash that check. Doing so could cause you to incur fees from your bank. If you already tried to cash the check and incurred any bank fees, Kroll will reimburse you for those fees. To be reimbursed those bank fees, Class Members must provide proof—such as screenshot(s) or photo of a bank statement or account—showing the bank fees are the result of depositing a settlement check that was the subject of the stop payment order by Kroll. Class Members who, as a result of the stop payment order on the settlement check, had their bank accounts overdrawn may be eligible for a Reliance Payment to try to correct the negative balance. To receive a Reliance Payment, Class Members must submit proof—such as screenshot(s) or photo of a bank statement or account—showing that original settlement check was deposited and that the stop payment on that check caused their account to be overdrawn.
The fastest way to receive reimbursement of fees and/or a Reliance Payment is to provide clear proof of the fee(s) or overdraft resulting from the stop payment order on the original settlement check . Proof may include, but is not limited to, a screenshot of the fee or other minimal proof demonstrating that you incurred a bank fee. Class Members should email such proof to DeVryUniversitySettlement@browngreer.com. Any proof that was previously sent to DUSettlement@Edelson.com or the original settlement email is being forwarded to the BrownGreer email address. You do not need to send your proof multiple times or send it to both email addresses. If you have emailed your proof, we are reviewing the submitted information and will respond to the email confirming receipt.
As the
new Settlement Administrator, we worked with counsel for the Settlement Class
to identify the fastest way for us to send reimbursements and Reliance Payments
electronically. We are sending payments through
Checkbook Inc. (checkbook.io)
to expedite the reimbursement payment
process. Checkbook is a fast and secure method to receive your payment.
If you
did not incur any bank fees or overdraw your bank account, nothing else is
needed at this time
. We are working with counsel for the Settlement Class and
Kroll to audit the miscalculations and recalculate the correct settlement
payment amounts for each Class Member to ensure that this does not happen
again. We recognize the impact of the stop payment order by Kroll and are
determined to get the correct payments out as soon as we can.
We will post more information as it becomes available.
Important Update January 3, 2023: In the course of auditing the old Settlement Administrator's recalculations of potential settlement payments, the new Settlement Administrator, BrownGreer, has discovered additional serious errors that were not previously known. These errors affect class membership and payments to class members. They need to be investigated and corrected. Otherwise, there is a risk that incorrect payments are sent out again. BrownGreer's data team is working with Class Counsel and Defendants to fix these errors as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, this means that recalculated payments cannot go out at this time, and will likely be mailed sometime in the first few months of 2023. The Court and the settlement website will continue to be updated as the audit progresses, and a firm mailing date will be posted here as soon as it is available.
Important Update November 2, 2022: The Court approved Class Counsel’s proposal to replace Kroll Settlement Administration LLC with BrownGreer PLC as the Settlement Administrator. For additional details on the transition, payment recalculations, and reimbursement options, please see the Stipulation and Order Resolving Interim Settlement Administration Issues.
Important Update October 14, 2022: A proposed order setting Friday, October 21, 2022 as the mailing date for settlement payments is before the Court. Once that Order is available, it will be uploaded to the Documents tab of the settlement website. Please check back for any updates.
Important Update August 11, 2022: The Appellate Court has affirmed the final approval order in all respects. The Settlement Administrator is finalizing settlement payments to be mailed. An estimated mailing date will be posted as soon as possible.
Important Update as of February 28, 2022: The appeal is no longer stayed. The Parties are awaiting the scheduling of oral argument before the Appellate Court or a ruling from the Court on the pending appeal.
Important Update January 6, 2022: The appeal has been stayed. More details can be found under the Documents Section of this website.
Following a hearing on October 7, 2020, the Court issued an order finally approving the class settlement. However, Jose David Valderrama and Richardo Peart, objectors to the class settlement, subsequently filed notices appealing several of the Court’s prior rulings in the case. While the appeal is pending, no settlement checks can be issued to the class members that have filed valid claims. The parties do not know how or when the court of appeals will rule on the appeal. We will update this website as soon as additional information becomes available.
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If You Saw DeVry University’s Advertisements About Their Graduates’ Employment and Salary Outcomes and Subsequently Enrolled in a DeVry University or Keller Graduate School of Management Education Program, You May Be Entitled to a Payment From a Class Action Settlement.
A court authorized the Notice and this website. You are not being sued. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer.
A Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit claiming that Defendants Adtalem Global Education Group Inc. and DeVry University, Inc. (collectively, “DeVry”) fraudulently advertised that 90% of their graduates or graduates of Keller Graduate School of Management were employed in their fields of study within six months of graduation and that, on average, DeVry graduates earned 15% more income one year after graduation than graduates of other institutions. Plaintiffs claim that students relied on these misrepresentations to enroll and pay more than they otherwise would have. DeVry denies that the advertisements were fraudulent or misleading, or that it violated any law, but has agreed to the Settlement to avoid the risk and expense associated with continuing litigation.
You are included in the Settlement if you are a person in the United States who purchased or otherwise paid for any part of a DeVry or Keller education program between January 1, 2008 and December 15, 2016. To be eligible for monetary relief under the Settlement, persons of the Settlement Class must attest, among other things, that they saw or otherwise were presented with DeVry’s or Keller’s 90% Placement Claim and/or DeVry’s Higher Income Claim and also attest that either advertisement was a substantial factor in their decision to enroll or remain enrolled in DeVry or Keller.
Persons included in the Settlement will be eligible receive a pro rata (meaning equal) share of the $44,950,000 Settlement Fund (after first deducting graduate payments, costs to administer the Settlement, attorneys’ fees and costs, and an award to the Settlement Class Representatives) based on the number of credits that you paid for. If you graduated from DeVry’s associate’s or bachelor’s degree program or Keller’s master’s degree program, but did not obtain a job in your field of study within six months, you will be entitled to an additional payment of $500 if you obtained an associate’s degree, $1,000 if you obtained a bachelor’s degree, or $500 if you obtained a master’s degree. If you previously received settlement payments or debt forgiveness from DeVry settlements or through the government, those amounts will be deducted from any payment that you may otherwise be entitled to under this Settlement. DeVry has also agreed to provide certain career counseling services to class members who graduated from DeVry but did not obtain a job in their field within six months of graduation. DeVry will also request that all major U.S. credit agencies remove any negative credit events on your credit report that DeVry reported from January 1, 2008 to December 15, 2016 in connection with accounts receivable and/or loans it issued to you or amounts you might owe to DeVry.
Read the Notice carefully. Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT |
SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM | This is the only way to receive a payment. |
EXCLUDE YOURSELF | You will receive no benefits from the Settlement, but you will retain any rights you currently have to sue DeVry about the claims in this case. |
OBJECT | Write to the Court explaining why you don’t like the Settlement. |
GO TO THE HEARING | Ask to speak in Court about your opinion of the Settlement. |
DO NOTHING | You won’t get a Settlement payment, but may be eligible for career counseling, and the deletion of any negative credit events from your credit report that DeVry reported. |
Your rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained in the Notice.