OTHER NEWS - Sept. 13, 1996

Trainer of ‘Outside’ Travel Agents to Pay $44,000: The operator of a Laguna Hills firm that offered to train “outside” travel agents has agreed to pay restitution and penalties and to halt allegedly misleading advertising and unlawful business practices. J. Lawrence Robinson, who operated the now-bankrupt Travel Partners Management, said Thursday that he settled the civil lawsuit filed by the Orange County district attorney’s office to avoid costly litigation. Prosecutors accused Robinson and his company of misleading customers into believing, among other things, that they received the lowest prices, that they could get refunds up to a year after joining and that they could get upgraded travel tickets that only agents received. Robinson, who didn’t admit any wrongdoing in settling the civil case, will pay $1,000 a month for 39 months as restitution and then pay $5,000 in costs.