Contingencies and Other Commitments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies and Other Commitments

CONTINGENCIES AND OTHER COMMITMENTS

Litigation, Legal and Other Matters.  The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to complaints and administrative proceedings and are defendants in various civil lawsuits that have arisen in the ordinary course of their businesses, including contract disputes; actions alleging negligence, libel, defamation and invasion of privacy; trademark, copyright and patent infringement; real estate lease and sublease disputes; violations of employment laws and applicable wage and hour laws; and statutory or common law claims involving current and former students and employees. Although the outcomes of the legal claims and proceedings against the Company cannot be predicted with certainty, based on currently available information, management believes that there are no existing claims or proceedings that are likely to have a material effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. However, based on currently available information, management believes it is reasonably possible that future losses from existing and threatened legal, regulatory and other proceedings in excess of the amounts recorded could reach approximately $10 million.

In May 2021, Kaplan received notice from the ED that it would be conducting a fact-finding process pursuant to the borrower defense to repayment (BDTR) regulations to determine the validity of BDTR claims and a request for documents related to several of Kaplan’s previously owned schools. In 2021, Kaplan received borrower defense applications from the ED seeking discharge of approximately $35 million in loans, excluding interest, from former Kaplan University students. It is not clear to what extent the ED will exclude claims based on the underlying statutes of limitations, evidence provided by Kaplan, prior settlements with these students relieving their debt outside of the BDTR process, or any prior investigation related to schools attended by the student applicants. The ED’s process for adjudicating these claims is subject to the borrower defense regulations including those finalized in 2022 and effective July 1, 2023. Compared to the previous rule, the new rule in part, expands actions that can give rise to claims for discharge; provides that the borrower’s claim will be presumed true if the institution does not provide any responsive evidence; provides an easier process for group claims; and relies on current program review penalty hearing processes for discharge recoupment. Under the rule, the recoupment process applies only to loans first

disbursed after July 1, 2023; however, the discharge process and standards apply to any pending application regardless of the loan date.

Kaplan believes it has substantive as well as procedural defenses to the borrower defense claims that would bar any student discharge or school liability including that the claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations, are unproven, incomplete and fail to meet regulatory filing requirements. Kaplan expects to vigorously defend any attempt by the ED to hold Kaplan liable for any ultimate student discharges. Kaplan responded to the initial set of claims in 2021 with documentary and narrative evidence to refute the allegations, demonstrate their lack of merit, and support the denial of all such claims by the ED. Kaplan intends to similarly respond to any new claims that apply to Kaplan University or prior Kaplan-owned schools. If the claims are successful, the ED may seek reimbursement for the amount discharged from Kaplan. If the ED initiates a reimbursement action against Kaplan following approval of former students’ BDTR applications, Kaplan may be subject to significant liability.

As part of the Sweet v. Cardona settlement described below, the ED agreed to review any borrower defense applications submitted between June 23, 2022, and November 15, 2022 on an expedited basis. In January 2024, Kaplan was informed that the ED received applications during this time period regarding former Kaplan University and Purdue Global students and Kaplan has begun to receive them. Unknown at this time is the total discharge amount sought or how much of that amount would apply to Kaplan University students. The Sweet v. Cardona settlement requires the ED to adjudicate applications received during the designated time period pursuant to the requirements of the 2016 Borrower Defense Regulation. To the extent these applications apply to Kaplan University, Kaplan anticipates that it will have defenses similar to those described above. As noted, if the claims are successful, the ED may seek reimbursement for the amount discharged from Kaplan. If the ED initiates a reimbursement action against Kaplan following approval of additional former students’ borrower defense to repayment applications, Kaplan may be subject to significant liability.

In November 2022 the Northern District of California approved the settlement agreement in the lawsuit Sweet v. Cardona. The Plaintiffs in that lawsuit claimed that the ED failed to properly consider and decide pending BDTR claims. As part of the settlement, the ED agreed to discharge loans of borrowers who attended 150 specific schools, including all schools formerly owned by Kaplan, and who had BDTR claims pending as of the June 22, 2022 settlement execution date. This discharge will likely cover each of the first set of applications the ED sent to Kaplan and to which Kaplan previously responded. The ED and the Court made clear that these discharges as part of a settlement are not determinations that the pending BDTR claims are valid and the fact of the settlement discharge cannot be used as evidence of any determination of wrongdoing by the institutions. However, despite the fact that the loans are discharged per the settlement, the ED may still attempt to separately adjudicate the associated BDTR claims and follow the regulatory process for seeking recoupment from the institutions for such claims. As noted above, this settlement likely also applies to the resolution, future adjudication, and possible discharge of the newly noticed claims. As also noted, the ED could attempt to recoup from Kaplan some or all of any discharged amount for the newly noticed claims.

In August 2018, Purdue University Global received an updated Provisional Program Participation Agreement (PPPA) from the ED which is necessary for continued participation in the federal Title IV programs after the change in ownership from Kaplan to Purdue. The PPPA expired on June 30, 2021 but was extended to June 30, 2022. In August 2022, Purdue University Global received an extended PPPA that is effective through June 30, 2024. Under the extended PPPA, among other restrictions, Purdue University Global must also report information related to known governmental investigations and student complaints on a quarterly basis to the ED. The provisional certification ends upon the ED’s notification to the institution of the ED’s decision to grant or deny a six-year certification to participate in the Title IV, Higher Education Act programs.

Other Commitments. The Company’s broadcast subsidiaries are parties to certain agreements that commit them to purchase programming to be produced in future years. At December 31, 2023, such commitments amounted to approximately $12.6 million. If such programs are not produced, the Company’s commitment would expire without obligation.