Do you remember Trump University? You’re likely to hear more about it in the near future.

Valerie Strauss reports at the Washington Post.

Trump University: Why the N.Y. attorney general called it a scam

You probably won’t be surprised to learn, if you didn’t already know, that Donald Trump started a university, or at least that’s what he called it. And it may not be surprising that Trump University caused a lot of controversy — so much, in fact, that he is embroiled in two lawsuits over it. One is a civil suit filed in 2013 by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, accusing Trump’s enterprise of defrauding students into paying fees that could reach more than $35,000; the other is a class-action suit by a former student who alleges he didn’t get what he paid for.

What is this all about?

In 2005, the real estate magnate started an initiative that offered seminars in real estate, entrepreneurship and other related subjects and that charged from $1,500 to more than $35,000. It was called Trump University, even though it didn’t actually give out degrees and wasn’t accredited. Trump promised in one ad, “Just copy exactly what I’ve done and get rich.”

In 2010, he changed the name to the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative after the New York State Department of Education sent him a letter, according to the New York Daily News, accusing him of misleading the public by running an unauthorized school. The letter, signed by Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education Joseph Frey, said in part:

“Use of the word ‘university’ by your corporation is misleading and violates New York Education Law and the Rules of the Board of Regents.”


 
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