Life loses court ruling 03/04/03 MARIETTA ã Life University lost a crucial court battle Monday when a judge granted class-action status to a lawsuit filed against the school after it lost its chiropractic accreditation. The lawsuit represents 470 current and former Life students who are seeking monetary damages from the university, the board of trustees and Life¼s founder Dr. Sid Williams. The lawsuit alleges the school and its top administrators failed to adequately ensure that the university keep its accreditation. Fulton County Judge Diane Bessen¼s ruling allows anyone who attended the university during its loss of accreditation to easily join the lawsuit. Yehuda Smolar, an Atlanta attorney serving as lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said another 1,500 current and former chiropractic students could now choose to join the lawsuit. Life officials could not be reached for comment Monday. Judge Bessen heard arguments on the case Thursday. „Careers have been disrupted, lives have been displaced and families have been uprooted,¾ Smolar said on Thursday. „Even though they have temporarily regained their chiropractic accreditation, the damage has already been done.¾ Earlier this month, Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Moye Jr. granted Life a preliminary injunction reinstating the school¼s chiropractic accreditation until the resolution of a lawsuit the school filed against the Council on Chiropractic Education is reached. Because of the large number of plaintiffs, Smolar said several law firms across metro Atlanta have teamed up to prosecute the case. According to court documents, 10 other lawsuits are presently pending against Life, its founder Dr. Sid Williams and several members from Life¼s board of trustees. The student lawsuits have been filed in three different courts in Cobb and Fulton counties. Two of the 10 cases are still seeking class-action status and the other seven were brought by 73 students in multi-plaintiff groups ranging from one to 29 students. Smolar said it was too early to disclose the monetary damages they would be seeking from the university.