Kids Don't Get into Harvard, So Family Sues Educational Advisor

We hear of parents who are serious about sending their
kids to Ivy League schools. They put their kids in the top private elementary
schools. They fill their weekend schedules with tutoring and various
lessons.

They even hire outside consultants to advise them on how to get their child into Harvard, reports The Boston Globe.

But what if all of this fails?

Then they sue.

Gerald and Lily Chow sued an education consultant after
their sons didn’t get into Harvard.

Here’s the back story: They hired Mark Zimny when they
were back in Hong Kong. Knowing little about the U.S. educational system, they
relied on Zimny.

Zimny’s plan was foolproof. He would train and tutor the
boys. He would also grease the admission wheels by creatively planning donations
in the Chow family name.

The Chows forked out $2.2 million.

But that $2.2 million didn’t buy their way into Harvard.
And so, they decided to sue the man who promised them Harvard.

A simple Google search on Zimny could have shown the
Chows that they were wasting their money.

But knowing so little about the U.S. education system,
the Chows went all in.

Zimny is on the line for fraud and misrepresentation. He
held himself out to be well connected. In actuality, he was no longer at Harvard
and hadn’t been there since 2005.

An allegation of
fraud requires that a false or misleading statement was made and that there
was detrimental reliance on that statement. The Chows certainly relied on the
statements made by Zimny.

And they relied on them to their detriment.

But does Zimny have a valid defense? After all, could he
say that they simply misunderstood him? How accurate were his assertions?

And besides, had they done their research, they might
have known that an education consultant could not guarantee their children’s way
into Harvard.

In fact, according to ABC News, legitimate education
consultants never guaranteed admission into any college.

So what’s the lesson here? Caveat emptor — Latin for “let the buyer beware.”

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