Robert Pees Quoted in Norther California Record on College Bribery Scandal

Northern California Record has quoted Akin Gump litigation partner Robert Pees in the article “Attorney on college bribing scandal and lawsuit: ‘This is a wake-up call’.” Pees spoke with the publication about a lawsuit that was filed as a result of the well-publicized bribery scandal.

The article reports that the suit was filed by two plaintiffs who claim they were not given a fair chance at admission and are seeking unspecified damages and a return of all application fees. The defendants include several universities.

Speaking of the suit, Pees said, “One of the challenges that the student plaintiffs face in pursuing this class action is the formidable obstacle of standing. Under Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution, a litigant has to have suffered a concrete and particularized injury that is traceable to the alleged wrongdoing.”

It is noteworthy, Pees said, that some of the schools that are defendants in the lawsuit “were not schools that the particular named plaintiffs applied to - they applied to some of the schools but not all of them.” In addition, he pointed out that the application fees were paid by the students’ parents, “which goes to the question of whether these students themselves have suffered a concrete and particularized injury."

Pees thinks universities will face a number of changes as a result of the bribery scandal, including increased scrutiny of admission practices, protocols and procedures. He also warned, “They need to brace themselves for potential congressional investigations. They need to brace themselves for potential legislation at the state level and above all they need to be proactive and get ahead of this and start developing best practices so that they are not among those universities and colleges that are targeted years from now because of deficient practices. This is a wake-up call, in a sense.”