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The filing addresses the defendants’ alleged deceptive business practices, including misrepresentations about high school equivalency diplomas and accredited secondary education programs, as well as marketing of questionable medical certification. It argues consumer harm, the legal authority for injunctive relief, likely success on the merits, balancing of equities, joint enterprise liability, and an appropriate scope for the proposed TRO, including asset preservation, website disabling, record retention, and expedited discovery.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/stepping-stonez-memorandum-of-points-and-authorities-in-support-of-ftcs-motion-for-temporary-restraining-order/265080/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/stepping-stonez-memorandum-of-points-and-authorities-in-support-of-ftcs-motion-for-temporary-restraining-order/265080.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Mabel","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-20","2026-09-14",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",11,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What relief does the FTC request in this memorandum?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"The FTC seeks a temporary restraining order with an asset freeze and other equitable relief, along with an order to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not issue.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What deceptive conduct does the memorandum allege about the defendants’ diplomas and education programs?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"It alleges that the defendants misrepresent that their diplomas are valid high school equivalency credentials accepted by employers and colleges and that they operate accredited secondary education programs, including accredited online schools.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What is included in the proposed TRO’s scope according to the memorandum?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"The proposed scope includes conduct relief, an asset preservation order, temporary disabling of websites, preservation of records, and limited expedited discovery with immediate production of documents.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},265080,1789392244,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},7971474920318,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/74000ee537e6b0ca360?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1788430171632181674","1  \n2  \n3  \n4  \n5  \n6  \n7  \n8  \n9  \n10  \n11  \n12  \n13  \n14  \n15  \n16  \n17  \n18  \n19  \n20  \n21  \n22  \n23  \n24  \n25  \ngashe@ftc gov kroller@ftc gov  \nJONATHAN E. NUECHTERLEIN  \nGeneral Counsel GREGORY A. ASHEVA Bar No. 39131 KATHARINE ROLLER IL Bar No. 6316909 Federal Trade Commission  \n600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20850 Telephone: 202-326-3719 (Ashe)  \nTelephone: 202-326-3582 (Roller)  \nFacsimile: 202-326-3768  \nEmail: . , .  \nCase 2:16-cv-00351-SPL Document 9 Filed 02/08/16 Page 1 of 51  \nAttorneys for Plaintiff  \nUNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT  \nDISTRICT OF ARIZONA  \nFEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION,  \nPlaintiff,  \nv.  \nSTEPPING STONEZ  \nDEVELOPMENT, LLC, et al.,  \nDefendants.  \nCase No.  \nMEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OFFTC’S MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER WITH ASSET FREEZE AND OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF, AND AN ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE WHY A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION SHOULD NOT ISSUE  \n1  \n2  \n3  \n4  \n5  \n6  \n7  \n8  \n9  \n10  \n11  \n12  \n13  \n14  \n15  \n16  \n17  \n18  \n19  \n20  \n21  \n22  \n23  \n24  \n25  \n26  \n27  \n28  \nCase 2:16-cv-00351-SPL Document 9 Filed 02/08/16 Page 2 of 51  \nTABLE OF CONTENTS  \nI. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1  \nII. THE PARTIES ..................................................................................................................... 1  \nA. The Federal Trade Commission ........................................................................................... 1  \nB. Defendants ............................................................................................................................ 2  \nIII. DEFENDANTS’ DECEPTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICES ................................................. 4  \nA. Defendants Misrepresent That Their Diplomas Constitute Valid High School Equivalency Credentials Accepted by Employers and Colleges ..................................................................... 4  \n1. Defendants’ Deceptive Use of Metatags and URLs ......................................................... 4  \n2. Defendants’ Deceptive Websites ...................................................................................... 6  \n3. Defendants’ Purported Diploma Programs ....................................................................... 8  \n4. Defendants’ High School Diplomas Are Not Legitimate Credentials ............................ 11  \nB. Defendants Misrepresent That They Operate Accredited Secondary Education Programs.................................................................................................................................... 16  \n1. Defendants Misrepresent That They Operate Accredited Online Schools ..................... 16  \n2. Defendants Do Not Operate Accredited Online Schools................................................ 18  \nC. Defendants Also Market Questionable Medical Certification Programs ........................... 19  \nD. Consumer Injury ................................................................................................................. 23  \nIV. THE COURT SHOULD ENTER A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER .............. 23  \nA. This Court Has the Authority to Grant the Requested Relief ............................................ 23  \nB. The FTC Meets the Standard for Granting a Government Agency’s Request for Preliminary Injunctive Relief.................................................................................................... 24  \n1. The FTC Has Demonstrated Its Likelihood of Success on the Merits ........................... 25  \na. Misrepresentations That Consumers Can Successfully Use Proposed Defendants’Diplomas As A Valid High School Equivalency Credential ............................................. 27  \nb. Misrepresentations Regarding AACHE Accreditation ............................................... 27  \nc. Defendants’ Inconspicuous Disclaimers Do Not Cure Misrepresentations ................ 28  \n2.","cbCaihjGaLUGvamv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihjGaLUGvamv","pdf",263049,51,"English","# TABLE OF CONTENTS\n## INTRODUCTION\n## THE PARTIES\n### The Federal Trade Commission\n### Defendants\n## DEFENDANTS’ DECEPTIVE BUSINESS PRACTICES\n### Deceptive diplomas as high school equivalency credentials\n### Misrepresent accredited secondary education programs\n### Questionable medical certification programs\n### Consumer injury\n## THE COURT SHOULD ENTER A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER\n### Court authority for requested relief\n### Standard for preliminary injunctive relief\n### Likelihood of success on the merits\n### Equities favor injunctive relief\n### Common enterprise and joint liability\n### Individual defendant liability\n## THE SCOPE OF THE PROPOSED TRO IS APPROPRIATE IN LIGHT OF DEFENDANTS’ CONDUCT\n### Conduct relief\n### Asset preservation order\n### Temporary disabling of websites\n### Preservation of records\n### Limited expedited discovery\n## CONCLUSION","[{\"question\":\"What relief does the FTC request in this memorandum?\",\"answer\":\"The FTC seeks a temporary restraining order with an asset freeze and other equitable relief, along with an order to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not issue.\"},{\"question\":\"What deceptive conduct does the memorandum allege about the defendants’ diplomas and education programs?\",\"answer\":\"It alleges that the defendants misrepresent that their diplomas are valid high school equivalency credentials accepted by employers and colleges and that they operate accredited secondary education programs, including accredited online schools.\"},{\"question\":\"What is included in the proposed TRO’s scope according to the memorandum?\",\"answer\":\"The proposed scope includes conduct relief, an asset preservation order, temporary disabling of websites, preservation of records, and limited expedited discovery with immediate production of documents.\"}]","STEPPING STONEZ - Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of FTC’s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order | PDF",129]