[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 10/10/02 ]
Students sue Life U. over accreditation loss 
By MARY MacDONALD 
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer 

Ä Cobb community page
Five Life University students have filed a lawsuit that says the Marietta school 
and its former president were negligent in losing accreditation of the 
chiropractic program.
The civil suit filed in Cobb County Superior Court on behalf of five current and 
former students is the first of several that are expected to seek damages for the 
loss of accreditation. A similar lawsuit will be filed next week on behalf of eight 
more students, said attorney Cary King, who represents the two groups.
The lawsuit filed Sept. 30 says former President Sid Williams and the university 
trustees had ample time to correct the deficiencies cited by the Council on 
Chiropractic Education. The council in June revoked the accreditation of Life's 
largest degree program, the doctor of chiropractic, after a one-year probation 
period.
The complaint says Life breached its agreement with students to provide an 
accredited education by failing to "take all steps required to maintain their 
accreditation."
Graduates of an unaccredited chiropractic program cannot sit for national 
board exams that are required for a license in any state. Accreditation 
continues while the university appeals the decision.
The accrediting agency has scheduled a hearing Oct. 20.
Neither Williams nor his attorney could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Through a university spokesman, interim President Michael Schmidt declined 
to comment on the lawsuit. Spokesman Will Hurst said the chiropractic 
program remains accredited on appeal. "Any claim of damage due to the loss 
of accreditation is premature," Hurst said. 
Charles Ribley, a Michigan chiropractor who is president of the university 
trustees, said the board acted appropriately during the yearlong probation. He 
said he was surprised when the program lost its accreditation and is confident 
it will be restored. He had not seen the lawsuit, but disputed its basic premise.
"I don't feel the board was negligent in any way," Ribley said. "I don't know that 
anybody was negligent."
Over the yearlong probation, he said, Williams offered repeated reassurances 
that the problems were being corrected. "The only thing I've ever heard from Dr. 
Sid was that everything was OK," Ribley said.
Peter Scire, a former student who is among the five plaintiffs, said the trustees 
gave too much power to Williams, who failed to correct the problems cited by 
the accrediting agency. Scire said it doesn't matter if the chiropractic program 
regains accreditation on appeal, because the university's reputation is 
damaged.
"The quality of the education we got was inferior," said Scire, who stopped 
taking classes last month. "President Williams and the board just went astray." 
The lawsuit cites Williams as a defendant specifically, Scire said, because "the 
buck stopped with him."