FTC Drops Biden Lawsuit Against Christian University
The Federal Trade Commission has dropped a lawsuit against Grand Canyon University. The Phoenix-based school is one of the nation’s largest Christian universities.
The FTC sued Grand Canyon during the Biden administration in 2023, alleging that it deceived students about costs associated with doctoral studies and had engaged in what it saw as illegal telemarketing practices. At the time, the FTC said the “university, its marketer and its CEO deceptively advertised the cost and course requirements of its doctoral programs and its nonprofit status, and made illegal calls to consumers.”
“The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously to dismiss its lawsuit against Grand Canyon University’s largest service provider — Grand Canyon Education — and (university Presidente) Brian Mueller, ending years of coordinated lawfare by government officials under the Biden administration against the largest Christian university in the country,” the university said in a statement to CBN News.
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson joined commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Mark Meador in releasing a statement confirming the news.
“This case, which we inherited from the previous administration, was filed nearly two years ago and has suffered losses in two motions to dismiss,” the statement said. “In its reduced form, this case presents consumers very little upside relative to the cost of pursuing it to completion.”
Mueller also issued a statement, pushing back on allegations levied against his college and affirming his belief that the lawsuits were part of a “coordinated effort by former officials within the Biden administration to undermine a thriving Christian university.”
“As we have stated from the beginning, not only were these accusations false, but the opposite is true,” he said. “We go above and beyond what is required in our disclosures and are recognized as a leader in this area. They threw everything they had at us for four years and yet, despite every unjust accusation leveled against us, we have not only survived but have continued to thrive as a university. That is a testament, first and foremost, to the strength and dedication of our faculty, staff, students and their families. Above all, it speaks to our unwavering belief that the truth would ultimately prevail.”
–Alan Goforth
