HARTFORD, Conn — Former students at the now-closed Stone Academy were awarded a pretrial judgment that would compel school officials to set aside $5 million.
Judge Barbara Ellis's ruling, which was released by the plaintiff's law firm Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg & Knuff on Monday, rejected the school's owner's testimony and said she found it false and in large part not credible.
"Even at this early stage, the court finds that the class will be certified and would be likely to prevail on the [Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act]and breach of contract claims," court documents show.
Previous court rulings allow for the judge to make the ruling before a trial. The move essentially freezes the assets of the school's owners for the amount of $5 million. The plaintiffs can still ask for more damages in the trial.
Atty. David Slossberg said more than 1,000 students were severely impacted by the school's abrupt closure and the conduct of the defendants by its owners.
"They needed a voice and this was a good first step," he said.
Slossberg is joined by attorneys Timothy Cowan, Erica Nolan, and Kristen Zaehringer.
The trial is scheduled to begin in September 2024.
All the locations of Stone Academy closed in February with no warning, leaving students without a means to obtain their certifications. The state Office of Higher Education had been auditing the school and was going to provisionally allow it to continue to operate. School officials closed the school instead.
The judge rejected the testimony of defendant Joseph Bierbaum, the school's manager and 25% owner, as false and in large part "not credible when it came to the facts around the closure.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.