Trial Date Set in Pacifica Lawsuit

The trial date for the lawsuit against the Pacifica Graduate Institute alleging the school misled students about its accreditation status has been set for April 1, 2016. In four related cases first filed in 2013, 61 plaintiffs are suing the school for tuition costs and loss of future earnings. Pacifica’s Ph.D. program in clinical psychology is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), but not the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA status is not required for students to become licensed in California, but plantiff attorney Eric Woosley contends major employers such as Veterans Affairs (VA) and Kaiser only hires students who graduated from APA schools. Pacifica attorney Mark Intrieri contended the case has no merit. “Numerous claims have been dismissed and several plaintiffs have dropped out of the case,” Intrieri said.