Are you protected by the U.S. if you go to a Caribbean medical school?

[Angelou]

Several people keep asking if you can file a lawsuit against a Caribbean medical school. The answer is yes. For example, if you are suing Ross, you would file your lawsuit in New Jersey, that's where their offices are, the owners are American, and most of their business is conducted from there; SGU's business offices are also located in New York; Saba, SMU, MUA in Massachusetts; AUC in Florida, etc. You would file your lawsuit in those states. If their lawyers try to file the lawsuit where the school is, all you have to do is file a motion to have the case moved, due to the extreme hardship of having to travel to the foreign country, and because they are American owned, and because their offices are located in America etc. How do I know this? because I did it. I will not give details because of the terms of my the settlement.

Just one piece of advice regarding lawyers, HIRE THEM ON A CONTINGENCY BASIS ONLY. This means that they only get paid if they win the case. Average percentage of their keep will run between 25% to 30% of your settlement, or whatever the result is. This will make sure that they work hard to win the case for you. You may have to pay a fee to have your case reviewed but, MAKE SURE YOU HIRE THEM ON A CONTINGENCY BASIS!

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[HopefulCanadian]

I am confused. If you don't mind me asking, not based on your specific case, why would you sue a school? I am just trying to understand any breach of contract or wrong doing that the school would have done to warrant this.

 

[Angelou]

@HopefulCanadian, I'm not sure how to answer your question. The reason to sue someone or an entity are almost limitless. If you enter into an agreement either written, oral or implied and part or all of the agreement is not fulfilled you can sue to make or receive reparations in one form or another. Of course, suing should not be your first step in attempting to fix a problem. Certain schools feel that they are untouchable simply because they are out there in a remote island and prey on the ignorance of the students.

 

[bedevilled ben]

Several people keep asking if you can file a lawsuit against a Caribbean medical school.

[Citation needed]. I check this forum almost daily and I don't recall seeing anyone mentioning that in the last 6 months at least.

Can you please explain why you're encouraging litigation against medical schools? I cannot imagine that this is profitable for 99% of those that attempt it. If you're concerned about predatory recruitment practices at unreputable Caribbean schools, it seems to me your time would be better spent educating and encouraging prospective students to attend vetted programs instead, rather than promoting the idea that they have a financial "fall back" to sue the school if they fail out of a program and accrue excessive debt.

 

[Skip Intro]

Let me tell you how it really works:

It is David vs. Goliath. And David doesn't always win.

These schools have incredibly deep pockets. And, they will simply "stall" if you try to enter into a lawsuit against them. It may take years - years - for it to resolve. What are your damages? Good luck finding a law firm to take it on a contingency basis if you can't make it worth their while. We are talking time for depositions, discovery, etc. And, who are you suing? The school? The corporation? Everyone? You better have a list of those who "wronged" you and be prepared to go on the defensive.

At best, you might be able to settle out of court. Or, if you can figure out a way to go into a class action suit, you may get their attention. Otherwise, if you're on your own, you're going to have an even bigger uphill battle than you did failing out of medical school in the first place.

Show me just one successful individual lawsuit against any of these schools. Link it. Please. Because, personally, I haven't heard of any.

Bottom line: if this is your thought process and you are ready to start slinging mud, dig in because it's going to take a long time and a lot of your soul. And, chances are that they will be slinging a lot more mud back at you than you can possibly imagine.

-Skip