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Gallo LLP & Yankwitt LLP Announce Class Action Litigation Against For-Profit Culinary School, the International Culinary Center
[July 14, 2014]

Gallo LLP & Yankwitt LLP Announce Class Action Litigation Against For-Profit Culinary School, the International Culinary Center


NEW YORK --(Business Wire)--

The law firms of Gallo LLP and Yankwitt LLP announce their filing of a class action on July 10, 2014 on behalf of current and former students of the International Culinary Center ("ICC"), formerly known as the French Culinary Institute. The class action is brought on behalf of students who attended either of ICC's campuses, located in Manhattan, NY and Campbell, CA (News - Alert), and enrolled in any of the school's "Culinary Chef" or "Pastry Chef" programs. The case, filed in the federal court for the Southern District of New York, is titled Larry Grabovan et al. v. International Culinary Center et al., Case No. 14 CV 5147.

Current or former ICC students who wish to learn more about the action, or about how to participate in the litigation, should visit the website maintained by plaintiffs' counsel at www.icclawsuit.com.

Background on the ICC Litigation

The action charges that ICC misled students into paying $45,000 or more for 6 to 9 month non- degree-granting programs. The complaint alleges that students agreed to pay these fees based on ICC's advertising and on alleged statements by ICC's admissions personnel that ICC was worth the high price tag (News - Alert) because, upon graduating, students would obtain jobs as Chefs, or other "top culinary jobs," that would pay good salaries and allow them to avoid years of working in entry-level "cook" positions. The phrase "Become a Chef in 6 months" allegedly appeare frequently in ICC advertisements and other materials. Based on these promises, the two named plaintiffs, combined, borrowed nearly $100,000 to pay for their ICC educations.



Upon graduating, the plaintiffs allegedly learned that their degree enabled them to obtain only the sorts of low-paying entry-level positions that ICC had promised them they could avoid-positions that they could have obtained without paying for an ICC diploma (or any other schooling). Contrary to ICC's alleged misrepresentations, the plaintiffs discovered that an ICC education does not offer any shortcut to the "Chef" position, nor an accelerated career path, any more than other culinary schools with fewer celebrity endorsements. But it does cost a lot.

The class action seeks to recover, among other damages, a return of all money students paid or borrowed to fund their ICC education, for which they received degrees of allegedly minimal to no economic value, as well as student loan fees and interest.


The case is championed by lawyers who have had significant success litigating cases for culinary students. In the last few years, Gallo LLP has recovered more than $100,000,000 in cash and debt relief for former students. This includes a $40,000,000 class action settlement for former culinary students in Amador et al. v. California Culinary Academy et al., Case No. CGC-07-467710 (S.F. Superior Court). Gallo LLP also has represented approximately 1,400 former students alleging fraudulent sales and marketing practices in Vasquez et al. v. California School of Culinary Arts, Inc., Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BC393129. Most of those cases are ongoing in Los Angeles.

About the Attorneys

Gallo LLP is a California-based commercial and consumer law firm with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. It has been litigating large-scale fraud cases against for-profit culinary and other vocational schools since 2007. The firm's website at www.gallo-law.com includes numerous warm testimonials and endorsements from clients and former adversaries alike. Ray Gallo's winning percentage at trial exceeds 85%. He has been rated "AV" (preeminent) by Martindale Hubbell since 1999.

Yankwitt LLP is a sophisticated New York litigation firm specializing in complex, federal litigation. Located steps from the federal courthouse in Westchester, Yankwitt LLP has extensive experience litigating in the Southern District of New York. All of its New York lawyers at Yankwitt LLP have served as federal prosecutors and/or clerked for federal judges, and utilize their consummate knowledge of the New York federal courts to represent clients successfully in all types of litigation. The firm's website is www.yankwitt.com.


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