Education Management Corporation Pleased with Court Decision to Dismiss Claim on Plan Design

PITTSBURGH, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "We are very pleased that the Court has dismissed the claim made by the intervening parties and relators that the design of the Company's Compensation Plan for admissions representatives did not comply with the U.S. Department of Education's prior incentive compensation regulation. This was the only claim before the Court where all relevant facts (i.e. the terms of the Plan) were before the Court.  As we have stated from the beginning, our Compensation Plan was designed to, and did in fact, comply with the prior safe harbor regulation.

The decision to allow the case to proceed on an "as-implemented" theory is not surprising given the lack of facts currently before the Court and the procedural requirement that all facts be construed in favor of the plaintiffs at this stage.  As stated in the Court opinion, it is "inherently difficult" to resolve factual assertions at this stage of the proceedings.  We believe that the facts will demonstrate that the implementation of EDMC's compensation plan for admissions representatives complied with the law.

The post-secondary institutions owned by EDMC provide a valuable opportunity – particularly underserved students -- to obtain a higher education. And, we do so proudly and transparently.  What we do matters. We have been serving students for more than 40 years and are dedicated to student success, integrity, innovation, and excellence. We have a deep commitment to doing things right – right by our students, regulatory bodies and our own internal standards.

EDMC provides invaluable access to career education for more than 150,000 students who enter our classrooms in 109 schools across the country every day with the highest expectations for themselves and our faculty."

About Education Management

Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.edu) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue, with a total of 109 locations in 32 U.S. states and Canada. We offer academic programs to our students through campus-based and online curriculum instruction, or a combination of both. We are committed to offering quality academic programs and continuously strive to improve the learning experience for our students. Our educational institutions offer students the opportunity to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees and certain specialized non-degree diplomas in a broad range of disciplines, including design, media arts, health sciences, psychology and behavioral sciences, culinary, fashion, business, education, legal and information technology.

SOURCE Education Management Corporation