Countywide : Suit Against Sierra University Dismissed

A suit filed by a former psychology student against Sierra University in Costa Mesa was dismissed Tuesday after a court commissioner ruled that her complaint, filed without the help of an attorney, was insufficient.

Laurean Tahl, 30, of South Laguna filed a $179,000 breach of contract suit against the university after the state Behavioral Board of Science Examiners rejected her application for a therapist’s license. The board said that the courses she took at Sierra were inadequate.

Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Ronald Bauer upheld a dismissal motion filed by Sierra’s attorney, Thomas Peterson, because Tahl did not have a written contract from the university, the commissioner said.

“This is a breach of contract suit, and I can’t honestly find evidence of a real contract,” Bauer said. “Your complaint doesn’t give a full statement of what (Sierra) is supposed to defend.”

But Tahl said the school’s repeated use of state Department of Education seals on her paper work implied that the school’s programs met state requirements.

“It was communicated to me that these classes would prepare me” to become a therapist, Tahl said.

Tahl graduated with a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Sierra in 1987. With the state’s approval, she worked as an interning therapist for a year, but then received a letter saying her temporary license had been revoked because the 10 courses she took at Sierra had been inadequate to meet state requirements.

Tahl has 45 days to appeal the dismissal. In the courtroom Tuesday, Peterson offered to discuss settling the matter out of court.

Tahl, who has been unemployed since her license was revoked two years ago, agreed to discuss settlement terms.

“I just want to get this over with as soon as possible,” she said.