Settlement May Be Near in Big Whistle-Blower Lawsuit Involving U. of Phoenix

The Apollo Group, parent company of the University of Phoenix, announced today that it was holding settlement discussions with the parties that have accused it of falsely obtaining billions of dollars in federal student aid while violating rules over how student recruiters are paid. The case, which has been working its way through the courts for several years, is slated for trial in March, but the parties have now agreed to seek a 45-day stay of all proceedings in the litigation.