Press Releases
05/11/2023
Attorney General Tong Seeks Court Order to Force Stone Academy to Comply with Investigation
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong this week sought a court order to force Stone Academy to comply with the state’s ongoing investigation into potential violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.Attorney General Tong first launched the investigation on February 23, sending a civil investigative demand to Stone Academy after the nursing school abruptly closed its doors leaving students’ education plans in limbo. Stone has yet to fully comply with the demand.
“Full compliance with a state investigation is not optional. Stone cannot pick and choose which records to turn over, or where to search. We’re done waiting—we’re seeking a court order today to force Stone to follow the law,” said Attorney General Tong. “Stone took millions in tuition from students who poured countless hours away from their families and jobs to become nurses. We are putting everything we’ve got into this investigation, and will not hesitate to throw the book at any and every one responsible for this tragedy.”
Attorney General Tong’s demand to Stone sought detailed information and records regarding the education provided to and tuition collected from each student, the schools’ marketing practices, faculty qualifications, revenues, and accreditation materials, as well as all complaints received by the school. The demand to Stone also sought information regarding how and when the school decided to close and how that decision was communicated to students. The demand further sought detailed information as to how the school intends to reimburse students for tuition and costs, how it intends to assist students in continuing their education, and how it intends to inform students of their rights and options following the school closure.
Stone Academy has partially complied with that civil investigative demand, but remains deficient in several important areas, including failing to produce responsive materials from non-stone.edu servers and devices, failing to identify the search terms used to gather responsive documents, and failing to produce minutes for regular meetings on issues bearing on Stone’s operations.
Attorney General Tong has sought to secure compliance from Stone without resorting to a court order. Last month he sent a letter to Stone’s attorneys identifying various deficiencies and demanding a full and complete response. Stone remains out of compliance, leaving the Office of the Attorney General no option but to seek a court order.
This is the second time Attorney General Tong has had to seek a court order to force compliance with this investigation. Last month, Attorney General Tong sought a court order to force compliance from Stone owner Joseph Bierbaum and trustee Richard Scheinberg. The enforcement order is pending before Hartford Superior Court.
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
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