$3 MILLION FOR-PROFIT EDUCATION FRAUD JURY VERDICTS UPHELD: FINAL JUDGMENTS SIGNED Against University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, Inc.

On April 22, 2019, St. Johns County Circuit Court Judge R. Lee Smith ordered the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, Inc. to pay some $2,598,268.30 in damages to six former students foe negligent misrepresentations fraud about its Master of Orthopedic Physician Assistant Program. Interest is accruing at the rate of 6.73%.

Judge Smith has upheld November 21, 2019 jury verdicts before since-mandatorily retired J. Michael Traynor. Judge Smith will be signing six judgments in the aggregate ordering the multinational-corporate owned chain school to pay several million dollars, plus interest.

Six former students won jury verdicts in a case tried before former Circuit Judge J. Michael Traynor. The two-week jury trial found negligent misrepresentation of facts concerning a former program that did not prepare students to be physicians' assistants in Florida.

Six separate judgment orders were signed, one for each former student.

After an April 11, 2019 hearing, in an order filed on April 17, 2019, Judge Smith ordered that interest (currently set by Florida law at 6.57%) be paid commencing April 11, 2019, the date of the hearing.

Lawyers for the defrauded students and the fraudfeasing university agreed mental anguish damages were not recoverable, so one judgment will omit them. Also, the judge granted stays of execution on two judgments pendente lite, based on an offer of judgment issue.

Judge Smith denied three University motions to grant a new trial or a directed verdict or a remittitur to the defendant.

The nearly six-year old case was initially filed on August 13, 2013, resulting in a 1 AM, November 21, 2018 jury verdict before now-retired Judge J. Michael Traynor.

Motions concerning enforcement of settlement agreements -- one of which would unethically forbid the students lawyers from representing other clients -- were not addressed in the Order.

Court notes online show that no order was granted on ethics issues and that an evidentiary hearing might be held if they are pursued.

The corporation-owned chain school has branches in St. Augustine, in Austin, Texas and in San Marcos, California.

Developments in the University fraud case were extensively covered for several years by then-reporter Jake Martin of the St. Augustine Record. Since its acquisition by GateHouse, the Record has neglected Courthouse coverage, did not cover the trial, and pulled an online news item on the case, not printing it until it could be run with a front-page story on University founder Stanley Parris, some eight days after the trial.