California’s Golden Gate University School of Law will not be forced to reopen this fall—at least not yet. On Tuesday, a state judge in San Francisco dismissed a lawsuit brought by Golden Gate students and alumni seeking to stop its impending closure and denied their request for an injunction to keep the school open for the upcoming fall semester.
Judge Richard Ulmer ruled that the plaintiffs had not sufficiently supported their claims but allowed them to file an amended complaint. The lawsuit accused Golden Gate of violating its obligations to students.
Attorney Ryan Griffith, a Golden Gate Law alum representing the plaintiffs, said the ruling would not stop their efforts to keep the 123-year-old San Francisco law school open. “Let’s be honest, a delay is not helpful,” Griffith said Wednesday. “But it’s not fatal either.” Griffith plans to file an amended complaint this week and will again request an injunction.
Golden Gate University stated that many of its students have already registered to continue their studies at the University of San Francisco School of Law and Mitchell Hamline School of Law this fall under agreements with those schools. “We are satisfied with yesterday’s ruling and remain firmly focused on opportunities for our students to continue their legal education,” the university said.
Golden Gate officials announced in November that the university would discontinue the J.D. law degree program in May due to enrollment declines, a sluggish employment market, and low bar exam pass rates. The plaintiffs sued for breach of contract in February, alleging that students were kept in the dark about the law school’s bleak finances and that administrators haven’t provided adequate transfer options for students left in the lurch.
They also argued that the law school could be saved under the control of a court-appointed receiver, but Ulmer ruled this was premature.
