The lawsuit alleges TexAM operated without state certification and caused confusion with Texas A&M branding. The school says it never intended to mislead.
RICHARDSON, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against a Richardson-based institution called Texas American Muslim University — known as “TexAM” — alleging the organization illegally operated as a university and offered degrees without the state certification required to do so.
The lawsuit, announced Monday, also claims TexAM caused confusion among prospective students by using branding and marketing language similar to Texas A&M University. On May 8, the Texas A&M University System sent TexAM a cease-and-desist letter over the similarity.
“TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy,” Paxton said in a statement.
Paxton is seeking to halt TexAM’s operations entirely, obtain injunctive relief, and impose fines exceeding $1 million for alleged violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act and the Texas Education Code.
The lawsuit comes after Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sent TexAM a cease-and-desist letter earlier this month, citing noncompliance with state laws and regulations. The coordinating board gave TexAM a May 8 deadline to acknowledge the letter.
In a statement Monday, TexAM pushed back on the characterizations.
“We are not operating as a ‘University’ and not offering degree programs and degree courses,” the organization said. “Creating a similarity or confusion was never desired or to mislead was never intended.”