Two women in Portland, Oregon have filed a class-action lawsuit against Western Culinary Institute, claiming that the private trade school employs misleading sales pitches and leaves student’s ill-equipped to pay off student loans. The suit was filed March 6^th in Multnomah County Circuit Court, naming Western and its Illinois-based parent company, Career Education Corp.

The complaint alleges that the school breaches Oregon’s unlawful trade practices act and that it misrepresents its job-placement rates and students would “not obtain material benefit from the course of study.”

David Sugerman, the Portland attorney representing the students said, “A lot of people have incurred tremendous debt. When they get out, they [only] qualify for jobs that pay very little, relative to the debt they incur.” Sugerman added that the class could range as high as 3,000 people.

Carolyn Sinclair of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization said the agency has received “only three complaints” about Western Culinary Institute since early 2005. It had renewed the school’s authority in February 2005 but had pledged to monitor the school more closely after Oregon regulator’s had postponed renewal due to complaints about recruiting practices, class sizes and financial aid arrangements.