Federal Judge Won't Throw Lifeline To Teetering Florida Law School

Following up on my previous posts (links below):  Karen Sloan (Reuters), Judge Won't Throw Lifeline to Teetering Florida Law School:

A federal judge in Florida has denied Florida Coastal School of Law’s request to block the U.S. Department of Education from removing the school from the federal student loan program.

The decision strikes a major blow to the embattled law school’s efforts to remain open — a reality U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard in Jacksonville acknowledged in her Aug. 9 opinion. Florida Coastal is already operating on a “teach-out” plan approved by the American Bar Association under which it will not offer any classes and students will complete their law degrees at other schools.

“The Court recognizes that the denial of injunctive relief here may well end [Florida Coastal’s] battle to continue to provide legal education in the Jacksonville community,” Howard wrote in her opinion, in which she found that the law school had not been transparent with the Education Department regarding ownership changes and its standing with its accreditor, the ABA.

• Jacksonville Daily Record, Florida Coastal Another Step Toward Closure as Emergency Motion Denied
• Law360, Fla. Law School Can't Restore Aid Eligibility While It Sues DOE
• WJCT, Florida Coastal Another Step Toward Closure As Emergency Motion Denied

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• Eighteen Law Schools Would Fail ABA's Proposed 75% Bar Passage Within 2 Years Accreditation Standard (Jan. 26, 2019)
• ABA: Ten Law Schools Are Out Of Compliance With 75% Bar Passage Accreditation Requirement (May 29, 2020)
• ABA: Law Schools That Fail Two-Year 75% Bar Passage Standard Will Not Lose Accreditation If A Subsequent Class Meets The Standard (June 11, 2020)
• U.S. Department Of Education Terminates Florida Coastal Law School's Eligibility For Federal Student Loans; ABA Demands Teach-Out Plan (Apr. 10, 2021)
• Law School Rankings By Ultimate Bar Passage Rates (Apr. 26, 2021)
• What Comes Next For Law Schools With Two-Year Bar Pass Rates Below 75%? (May 14, 2021)
• ABA Again Rejects Florida Coastal’s Teach-Out Plan, Finds Sixth School Back In Compliance With 75% Bar Passage Within 2 Years Accreditation Standard (May 24, 2021)
• ABA Approves Florida Coastal's Teach-Out Plan; Classes To End After Summer Term; Students Will Transfer To Or Attend Other Law Schools (June 10, 2021)
• Florida Coastal Law School Sues U.S. Department Of Education Over Denial Of Participation In Student Loan Program (July 22, 2021)