A 59-year-old graduated from law school but with a huge lump sum of student loan left behind.
Passing law school at the age of 59
Cynthia Marie Rodgers recently graduated from Capital University Law school in Ohio at the age of 59. But, the Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness under the Supreme Court of Ohio, defer granting her license to practice law.
Denial to practice law
In a statement, the board pushes for the denial of her practice, based on records of Rodger’s multiple filed lawsuits prior to taking law. The board suspects of something trivial over the multiple repetitive cases Rodger’s filed.
She had filed several cases of personal injury, bankruptcy, auto sales dispute, property disputes, etc. These lawsuits were also filed in a variety of federal, state, and municipal courts. She even has one case in which the defendant sued her back for vexatious litigation.
The board also found out that Rodgers and her husband has a total of $900,000 in student loan, which is yet to be settled. Cynthia’s share was around $340,000, accounting for her law degree, bachelor’s degree, associate degree, and a failed master’s degree. In line with the student loan, Rodgers has a history of evading debts until they become uncollectible.
Based on the circumstances discovered by the board, they came out unconvinced that Rodgers deserves the merit and integrity to practice law.
There could be another side to the story
A lot got offended with the means Rodgers made use of the student loans system to her benefit. But, on a deeper perspective, was she really guilty of fraudulent transactions and vexatious lawsuits?
Tax attorney, Steven Chung dug deeper into Rodgers’ case. Based on the lawsuits evaluated by the board, each case was generally acceptable and valid. She knows she was wronged at some point, which is why she filed the cases, and it is not just out of boredom and joking around.
With regards to her student loan, out of combined $900,000 between her and her husband, only $340,000 was her share on it. And going into law school, a student bearing no tuition discount is already in debt by $204,390 upon graduation. Which means, her debt was justifiable by going into law school.
Finally, the income-based repayment plan is considered legal, especially in her financial situation and declared handicap.
After all, these are just presumptuous assumptions, and the board will always have a better judgment of the situation. It is best to leave the incident to them and trust for their just and honest decision regarding Rodgers’ case.
