The owner of the now-shuttered Boston Language Institute misled customers and violated state consumer protection laws, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey alleged in a lawsuit filed last week, the Boston Globe reported. Siri Karm Singh Khalsa, the owner of the language school, was aware of the dire financial situation facing the school in the weeks and months before it closed in mid-January, but he actively recruited students, encouraged them to pay in advance, and after the closure could not give them refunds, even though the company guaranteed them, Healey’s office alleged in court documents. “Boston Language Institute was on the brink of financial collapse, but the owner continued to enroll students and offer special discounts for classes that would never happen,” Healey said. “We are suing to get students their money back.” Khalsa disputes the allegation that he misled customers and said that he has been working to repay students who had enrolled and employees who were not paid when the school abruptly closed. The Kenmore Square language school was a longstanding institution in Boston. For 38 years it helped students learn Spanish, Vietnamese, and dozens of other languages, along with teaching English-language learners.
