PHEAA’s steps along with spoil individual individuals. In early 2013, Lee Pele, a 27-year-old man away from Fairfax County, Virginia, entitled to inquire about why defaulted college loans he’d never ever removed have been showing up towards their credit history. PHEAA had no answer. Soon he was being hounded from the a profile agency for much more than simply $137,000. He sued. PHEAA contended one, once the a supply of county, it got sovereign immune protection system. Oberg’s whistleblower suit, and therefore fought similar defense mechanisms states, injury their way up on the Ultimate Courtroom, and therefore last year upheld a reduced court’s governing you to definitely PHEAA, economically separate and you will doing business across the country, might possibly be held responsible for its malfeasance. Eventually afterwards, the organization compensated having Pele.
Oberg’s lawsuit plus shined a light towards tube anywhere between PHEAA in addition to national. For-instance, the training Department’s assistant secretary responsible for postsecondary studies was Sally Stroup, who’d previously spent more than ten years due to the fact PHEAA’s master the advice. In ed Kathleen Smith, yet another PHEAA government, to-be deputy master working manager within Government College student Help.