Court rejects injunction to reopen Golden Gate Law's JD program
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard B. Ulmer Jr. has shut the door on reopening the beleaguered Golden Gate University School of Law’s JD program, denying a motion for an injunction filed by students and alumni. (Photo by Burntorange72, CC-BY-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard B. Ulmer Jr. has shut the door on reopening the beleaguered Golden Gate University School of Law’s JD program, denying a motion for an injunction filed by students and alumni.
The 123-year-old law school, ranked as one of the most diverse in the United States, also is no longer accepting new students into some LLM and SJD programs, according to its website, but the San Francisco-based school will continue to offer non-JD graduate and undergraduate programs.
Originally, the lawsuit was filed February, accusing the university and its president of unlawful business practices, as well as demanding the school to stay open. The suit is still active, and the students and alums will continue their quest for damages, Ryan Griffith, an attorney for the alums and students and an adjunct professor at and graduate of Golden Gate Law, told the ABA Journal via email.
“The students can seek monetary damages for breach of contract, unlawful business practices, false advertising and other causes of action, and the judge did not dismiss those actions,” Griffith wrote. “Discovery can occur, and more evidence can be uncovered to prove what happened at Golden Gate.”
But according to Ulmer’s Sept. 16 decision, “it is unlikely that plaintiffs will be able to establish a claim for breach of express or implied contract.” The plaintiffs’ decisions to wait “two months to file their complaint and then another four to move for injunctive relief … weighs heavily against plaintiffs.”
Golden Gate University’s fall semester started Sept. 8. Some students in Golden Gate University’s JD program could transfer to the University of San Francisco School of Law and the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“Golden Gate University is satisfied with the court’s ruling,” a Golden Gate University spokesperson wrote to the Journal. “Our students are continuing their legal education on schedule and with the same level of financial support.”
The next hearing to determine if the suit will continue to move forward is Oct. 22.
