Monday, December 3, 2007

Alen Janisch aka CRI, Retreats to Personal Bankruptcy

For those of you who are not familiar with Court Reporting Institute, Inc. aka CRI, then I suggest the CRI saga website. CRI was basically Alen Janisch adorned with the vestiges and protections afforded by corporate form. Mr. Janisch operated under the guise of CRI, which masqueraded as a educational institution when in reality it was a vehicle for defrauding students, in essence a Venus fly trap, as detailed in the numerous complaints which were sent to the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, a veritable roach motel where only 6% of the students escaped aka graduated and only 1% of those were actually working in the court reporting field.

After 18 years, the Washington State Workforce Board refused to renew CRI/Janisch's license to teach court reporting, then CRI/Janisch was the subject of a distinctly unfavorable article in the Seattle Times and students left in droves. Janisch/CRI closed its "stores" and then when it became clear that its pursuers would not stop...well, pursuing, CRI declared bankruptcy. At the first bankruptcy hearing Janisch declared that CRI had no assets. Hmmm, it turned out that Janisch had withdrawn almost a million dollars out of "CRI" immediately prior to its "fiscal" demise as he admitted in his deposition. The Bankruptcy Trustee promptly filed a lawsuit against Mr. Janisch himself and then moved for summary judgment, to force him to return the money and now, possibly to evade that obligation, he has declared "personal" bankruptcy. Actually CRI/Janisch owes a lot of money.

In his personal bankruptcy filing Janisch states he has around $10,000 in assets and around $10 million in liabilities. Actually, these are debts that CRI incurred. Mr. Janisch's 2837 listed creditors, parallel, surprise, CRI's and include approximately 2800 students who attended his ... enterprise. Ironic when you are seeking to discharge obligations students might have AGAINST YOU. One would think that you SHOULD OWE the students. Guess he listed all those students since 13 of them are suing him and the bankruptcy automatic stay will stop that civil action. Perhaps he was expecting, and rightfully so, those other 2782 to sue him as well. After all, he still owes them money or an education. He took the former and never gave the latter.