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A settlement has been proposed in a class action lawsuit alleging Belford High School, Belford University and other co-conspirators engaged in a scam to dupe people into paying to receive high school diplomas from schools that don’t really exist.
If you obtained a Belford High School diploma at any time between Jan. 1, 2003 and Jan. 23, 2012, you may be entitled to payment from the Belford scam class action settlement.
The Belford High School class action lawsuit was filed on Nov. 5, 2009 and alleged that the Belford defendants perpetrated an internet scam in order to defraud prospective students out of their money. The plaintiffs claim Belford High School offers a “valid” and “accredited” high school diploma, but that in reality, the diplomas are not valid because the school is fake.
The plaintiffs allege that Belford claimed to be accredited by the International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities and the Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation, but that these entities are also fake.
In August 2012, Belford High School, Belford University and other co-conspirators were ordered to pay $22.7 million to more than 30,000 victims of their scam. The court found that Belford High School and Belford University are fake schools.
Belford reportedly admitted that it never had any administrators or employees, that the accrediting agencies are fake, and that the names of faculty and administrators posted on the diplomas were also fake.
After the judgment was entered, the plaintiffs’ attorneys attempted to find money from the defendants in order to pay the victims of the Belford scam. They reportedly located money in accounts who were held in the names of Pitko Inc., Tullow Inc., Mivvel Inc., Lateral Designs Inc., IT Device Pro Inc. and Payment Profs Inc., and they believed this money actually belonged to Belford High School. The attorneys subsequently sought to recover the money from these defendants.
The defendants disagree that the plaintiffs would have won at trial but agreed to settle the diploma scam class action lawsuit to avoid the burden and expense of ongoing litigation.
According to the Belford class action settlement website, the Belford defendants have been ordered to stop using the scam websites associated with their deception, including www.BelfordHighSchool.com, www.BelfordHighSchool.org, www.BelfordUniversity.org and www.BelfordUniversity.com. These websites have reportedly been taken down so that no further consumers are subjected to the fraud.
Who’s Eligible
Class Members of the diploma scam settlement include U.S. residents who obtained a Belford High School diploma at any time from Jan. 1, 2003 to Jan. 23, 2012.
Potential Award
Varies, depending on the total number of valid claims that are filed and how much money Class Members spent in connection with the Belford High School diploma.
The maximum payment that a Class Member may receive is the amount they paid in connection with their Belford High School diploma. However, the Claims Administrator will determine individual payments based on the number of total claims filed and the amount of money the Class Members spent.
Proof of Purchase
Class Members must submit a copy of their Belford High School diploma, or evidence explaining why they are unable to submit a copy of the diploma.
Claim Form Deadline
6/12/2017
Case Name
Lauber, et al. v. Belford High School, et al., Case No. 4:09-cv-14345, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Final Hearing
7/10/2017
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Belford Class Action
PO Box 6878
Broomfield, CO 80021
(844) 320-4304
BelfordClassAction@Googasian.com
Class Counsel
Thomas Howlett
Dean Googasian
THE GOOGASIAN FIRM PC
Defense Counsel
Todd Holleman
MILLER CANFIELD
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175 thoughts onBelford High School Diploma Scam Class Action Settlement
Csn i still file for my claim after the expiration date?
This is horrible. How were all the people that got paid contacted about this? I heard nothing until the deadline to file hit. I tried to go to school and they said I cant , it’s fake.
How can I put in my claim for my high school diploma
I took test in 2007, after I got it I tried to get a job an they said I couldn’t use it because it wasnt real, its messed up they made me pay $350.00 after I passed than it wasnt even real, how do I get a refund
I took test in 2007, after I got it I tried to get a job an they said I couldn’t use it because it wasnt real, its messed up they made me pay $350.00 after I passed than it wasnt even real, how do I get a refund
I wish I would’ve know about this a lot sooner. I was scammed by Belford, and am just hearing that there was a lawsuit against them.
still haven’t received our checks in florida..i used the contact form on the lawsuit website and they gave me a number to call…anyone else not receive yet? just wondering if they’re going out at dif times or all at once.
You can try contacting the settlement administrator to inquire about the status of your claim: BelfordClassAction@Googasian.com
I received my check in Florida Friday
Are u serious I’m just now reading this B’s what am I supposed to do now . Who do I contact about this how do I tell my family. I’m the only female to ever graduated OR at least u I thought so .
203.58 n TN 8/28/17
Received check for $203
Wow…. pay for a fake degree and only get $750 back?
$750? Looks like it was $203
My husband did this . Smh I sent my claim form in he even got denied jobs because they couldn’t pull up his information .