OT: Quick question for the lawyers re: college admissions scandal

[Engineer90]

I am hearing that parents are suing the schools involved in this admissions scandal. Most are pursuing money for various reasons. Is it possible to pursue a suit with the intent of gaining access to their notes on your child's application?

 

[Excalibur]

I assume that any of those materials would be discoverable.

 

[Crank]

It's possible. Most discovery rules in the U.S. allow a litigant to obtain information that is "relevant" to the litigation, as long as it is not privileged (attorney, spousal, et cetera), whether or not the evidence would be admissible at trial, if it could lead to relevant, admissible information.
In other words, most states allow very broad discovery, and I would think that any written documentation held by the University about a particular student would be subject to discovery. A Court could order the documents redacted if non-party records are sought.

 

[SubbaBub]

Admissions and athletic scholarships are not a zero sum situation.

Schools, for the most part, can admit whoever they want and as many as they want. That is why your application is more than just your SAT scores.

To prove any one kid was bumped is all but impossible and even if you could, the school was never under any contractual obligation to accept them in the first place.

The liability here is between the school and the government for likely fraud and misuse of funds. The real victims here are they schools provided they did not know about these schemes. They were deprived of quality students at the expense of the coaches' payoffs. They thought they were giving a scholarship to a legit athlete.

 

[businesslawyer]

I am hearing that parents are suing the schools involved in this admissions scandal. Most are pursuing money for various reasons. Is it possible to pursue a suit with the intent of gaining access to their notes on your child's application?

The Class Action lawyers aren't charging anyone -- they get paid out of monetary recoveries. If you could get this type of discovery, it will only be in an actual private lawsuit that someone is paying a lawyer to pursue. So unless someone is willing to pay minimum $200k for a chance that they can see their child's file and the notes on it, I don't need to think to much about the analysis of the suit.

 

[8893]

The Class Action lawyers aren't charging anyone -- they get paid out of monetary recoveries. If you could get this type of discovery, it will only be in an actual private lawsuit that someone is paying a lawyer to pursue. So unless someone is willing to pay minimum $200k for a chance that they can see their child's file and the notes on it, I don't need to think to much about the analysis of the suit.

In Connecticut, a bill of discovery might be an option for attempting to obtain the documents without having to file a lawsuit. If you get the documents and they support a claim, you can then decide whether to bring suit. If they don't support your claim, you've at least satisfied your curiosity. Have no idea what it would cost but I'd imagine you could find someone to put together the necessary papers for less than $5,000.00.

Of course, you would need to be able to articulate what the potential claim would be in order to persuade the court to order the discovery, and I don't know what the potential claim is here.

 

[Engineer90]

In Connecticut, a bill of discovery might be an option for attempting to obtain the documents without having to file a lawsuit. If you get the documents and they support a claim, you can then decide whether to bring suit. If they don't support your claim, you've at least satisfied your curiosity. Have no idea what it would cost but I'd imagine you could find someone to put together the necessary papers for less than $5,000.00.

Of course, you would need to be able to articulate what the potential claim would be in order to persuade the court to order the discovery, and I don't know what the potential claim is here.

I am in NY but the schools in question are in CT and CA. My real goal is to get their notes on the application.

However, to encourage them, I am willing to pursue monetary damages. I was thinking of gathering data to estimate the difference in value of an ivy degree versus a state school degree and try that angle.

One thing I have access to is the Hyatt legal service. It is one of our benefit options at work. Not sure if that will cover what you are suggesting.

 

[TRest]

I am in NY but the schools in question are in CT and CA. My real goal is to get their notes on the application and, if possible, copies of the letters of recommendation. I want to see if it reveals either what was wrong or missing in case my kid decides to try and transfer in the future. (Obviously to a school we are not suing)

However, to encourage them, I am willing to pursue monetary damages. I was thinking of gathering data to estimate the difference in value of an ivy degree versus a state school degree and try that angle.

One thing I have access to is the Hyatt legal service. It is one of our benefit options at work. Not sure if that will cover what you are suggesting.

Good luck with that.

 

[polycom]

I am in NY but the schools in question are in CT and CA. My real goal is to get their notes on the application and, if possible, copies of the letters of recommendation. I want to see if it reveals either what was wrong or missing in case my kid decides to try and transfer in the future. (Obviously to a school we are not suing)

However, to encourage them, I am willing to pursue monetary damages. I was thinking of gathering data to estimate the difference in value of an ivy degree versus a state school degree and try that angle.

One thing I have access to is the Hyatt legal service. It is one of our benefit options at work. Not sure if that will cover what you are suggesting.

#comeonman your kid didn't get into the school of their choice so you want to sue the school. Lawd.

 

[Engineer90]

#comeonman your kid didn't get into the school of their choice so you want to sue the school. Lawd.

Not exactly. Trying to get a peek at the secret sauce. If you haven't followed admissions at the elite schools closely, you have no idea how crazy and backwards it has become. It isn't what it used to be and probably isn't what you imagine it is. A lot has changed in a very short period of time.

 

[polycom]

Not exactly. Trying to get a peek at the secret sauce. If you haven't followed admissions at the elite schools closely, you have no idea how crazy and backwards it has become. It isn't what it used to be and probably isn't what you imagine it is. A lot has changed in a very short period of time.

Be rich + apply = acceptance
Be minority + good grades = acceptance
Be regular good student + some extras = no acceptance.

What’s changed? I was a trash student didn’t care about good schools my girlfriend didn’t get into duke or Harvard but got into a bunch of other top schools, but she fell into the last category.

 

[Excalibur]

Do people get bent out of shape if they have to buy a different brand of plywood than they were expecting?

 

[Engineer90]

Be rich + apply = acceptance
Be minority + good grades = acceptance
Be regular good student + some extras = no acceptance.

What’s changed? I was a trash student didn’t care about good schools my girlfriend didn’t get into duke or Harvard but got into a bunch of other top schools, but she fell into the last category.

A lot has changed and pretty recently. When did you apply? It isn't as simple as what you wrote. It used to be that simple. I can tell you some stories that will blow your mind at least as much as this recent scandal might have. In fact, I am more than willing to share what I have experienced and learned to anyone that is interested. If anyone out there has a kid in HS that is an exceptional student who is in the ballpark for the top schools, feel free to PM me and I will share what I can to help. Suffice it to say that you can't rely on 40, 30 or even 20 year old data and experiences anymore.