Immigration Advocates Sue U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for Systematic Delay in Processing U Visa Applications
LOS ANGELES, October 4, 2019 — A group of survivors of violent crimes including rape, sexual assault, and domestic abuse sued the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today, for failing to process their U visa and employment authorization applications in a timely manner—violating the bureau’s obligation under federal law. The Legal Aid Foundation of […]
Homeless Individuals and Advocates File Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional Treatment of People’s Belongings and the Ordinance Used to Justify It
LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2019 — Seven unhoused residents, living in Los Angeles neighborhoods from Van Nuys to Harbor City, along with two community organizations, filed a lawsuit today against the City of Los Angeles to challenge the constitutionality of Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.11, which the City has used to justify the ongoing […]
Victory for Low-Income Tenants Facing Eviction After Building’s Affordability Covenant Expired
Chinatown Property Owner Reaches Agreement with City of Los Angeles to Keep Rents Affordable for 10 More Years LOS ANGELES, July 8, 2019 — A tentative agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the property owner of the Hillside Villa apartments will extend the building’s affordability covenant for another 10 years, with zero rent […]
Housing Advocates File Lawsuit Against Property Owner Threatening Eviction By July 31
Chinatown tenants move to protect their affordable housing; landlord attempts to evict more than 50 households and avoid state notice requirements LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2019 — Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), National Housing Law Project (NHLP), and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of low-income […]
Lawsuit Challenges U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Over Illegal Denials of Federal Loan Consolidations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 30, 2019: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) filed a lawsuit in federal district court this week against the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of a former student of a now-defunct for-profit college. The lawsuit challenges a longstanding policy that prevents borrowers […]
Attorney Jim Burgess Named President of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ Board of Directors
The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, the leading frontline law firm for low-income people in Los Angeles, announces the appointment of Jim Burgess of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP to serve as president of the Board of Directors. The two-year appointment took effect July 1. “Jim brings a breadth of talent and dedication […]
Students Defrauded by Marinello Schools of Beauty Obtain Belated Discharges After Filing Suit Against the Department of Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 10, 2018 Contact: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: Robyn Smith (rsmith@lafla.org) (213) 640-3906 National Consumer Law Center: Jan Kruse (jkruse@nclc.org) (617) 542-8010 BOSTON – Following a federal lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and the National Consumer Law Center against the U.S. Department of Education and […]
Debt Relief for Defrauded Student Loan Borrower Who Attended Career Institute
After struggling for three decades with repayment and a lawsuit filed by Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (Escobedo v. Betsy DeVos, U.S. District Court, Central District. of Cal., Case No. CV 17-07586), student loan borrower Sonia Escobedo finally received full forgiveness of the federal student loans that were fraudulently obtained by Career Institute in […]
Lawsuit Challenges Long-Term Department of Education Policy Used to Deny Debt Relief to Students Harmed by For-profit Schools
Yesterday, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles filed a lawsuit in federal court against Betsy DeVos in her official capacity as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. The complaint alleges that for over 20 years the Department has used an informal evidence policy to improperly deny debt forgiveness to borrowers whose schools […]
Lawsuit Filed Challenging U.S. Department of Education’s Refusal to Discharge Loans of Students Defrauded by California-Based Marinello Schools of Beauty
LOS ANGELES – The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and National Consumer Law Center filed a lawsuit yesterday in federal court against the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos on behalf of three student loan borrowers defrauded by the for-profit Marinello Schools of Beauty (“Marinello”). At the time of its closure, Marinello […]