There’s the letter of the law, and then there’s the spirit of the law. And Amanda Lawson-Ross hopes that she can prevail, based on the latter. Lawson-Ross is a psychologist at the University of Florida. She believed that her employment position would qualify her for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives certain student loans for those employed in non-profit and government positions for 10 years, so long as they have made on-time payments.

Lawson-Ross, like thousands of other borrowers, have planned their lives around the public service loan forgiveness program. They have chosen certain jobs, certain loans, and certain life expenses, based on the certainty of the loan forgiveness. But now almost all of them are being told they have the wrong type of loan.

Borrowers Face Uphill Battle

Lawson-Ross is appealing this legal decision, based primarily on issues of fairness. She has numerous advocacy groups behind her, including the American Federation of Teachers. And there are thousands of borrowers in her exact same position cheering her on, hoping she prevails so that they can use the precedent in their own case. But she has an uphill battle to fight. Not only will she have to get around the Higher Education Act, but she will also have to prove that Great Lakes owed her a duty of care. She claims they misled her into believing that the loan that she took out would qualify for the public loan forgiveness program, when in fact the loan did not.

If you feel you have been misled into believing your loan would qualify for the public service loan forgiveness program, contact a local consumer protection lawyer. With nearly 25 percent of Americans eligible for this program, there could be many thousands of borrowers in the same predicament as Amanda Lawson-Ross.

Related Resources:

  • Find a Consumer Protection Attorney Near You (FindLaw’s Lawyer Directory)
  • Student Loan Forgiveness Options May Disappear Under New Budget Plan (FindLaw Law and Daily Life)
  • Top 5 Student Loan Debt Tips (FindLaw Law and Daily Life)

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