A former employee is suing the Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology and its owner alleging financial improprieties, defamation and retaliation.
Jennifer Michael, of Hopewell, filed the complaint against the school and owner Cheri Herold on Tuesday in federal court. It also includes claims under the state whistleblower act.
Herold, when reached on Friday, called allegations against her “ludicrous,” and said the lawsuit was “frivolous.” She referred questions to her attorney, John Silvestri. He called the claims in Michael’s complaint false
Michael was terminated on Nov. 7. Her attorney, Christi Wallace, declined to comment outside of what is included in the lawsuit.
According to the 44-page complaint, Michael began working for the school, with locations in Mars and Squirrel Hill, in April as the operations manager and said in the lawsuit she immediately noticed “major ‘red flags.’”
As part of her job duties, Michael answered incoming calls at the school. She claimed that the majority were from students complaining about the program and financial aid. The lawsuit said the students complained that Herold misled them.
Michael said in the complaint that she confronted Herold about it.
“She was told things such as, ‘these students are losers because they couldn’t complete the program’ or ‘these students couldn’t afford to pay for the program,’” the lawsuit said.
Among the complaints, the lawsuit said:
• students were told their financial aid covered tuition, kits and...
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