Professional Massage Training Center, Inc. v. Accreditation Alliance of Career Schools and Colleges

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

781 F.3d 161 (2015)

Relevant factsFree

ACCSC (defendant) denied Professional Massage Training Center's (PMTC) (plaintiff) accreditation-renewal application after finding significant deficiencies in management, staff retention, strategic planning, student achievement, and faculty-credential verification, a decision affirmed on internal appeal; PMTC sued under common-law theories, and the trial court found ACCSC violated PMTC's due-process rights and awarded substantial damages.

IssueFree

Whether accreditation entities are subject to a common-law duty to employ fair procedures when making accreditation decisions.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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