FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2026 filing
The Learning Experience litigation history
What The Learning Experience disclosed about lawsuits, arbitrations and bankruptcy in the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 3 lists the material legal actions a franchisor must report; Item 4 covers bankruptcy. This is the franchisor's own disclosure, not a court record, and not legal advice.
Items 3 (litigation) & 4 (bankruptcy) at a glance
What the filing discloses
- Cases disclosed
- 3
- Item 3, as counted in the filing
- Largest settlement, franchisor's own cases
- None stated
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor, parent, predecessor or officer
- Filing year
- 2026
- Disclosures cover the prior ten years
Extracted from the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
Item 3: litigation
One pending franchisee lawsuit (Lampe v. TLES, filed Feb 2026, alleging fraud/misrepresentation re: site development delays); two concluded historical matters from the 1990s involving the CEO's prior company Tutor Time (FTC consent order with $220,000 penalty; California Dept. of Corporations desist order for unregistered franchise sales).
Item 3 (litigation) · 3 matters disclosed · 1 pending listed
Litigation cases
The franchisor
Pending (1)
Valerie Lampe v. The Learning Experience Systems, LLC
pendingBrought by a franchisee · filed 2026-02-03 · Fourth Judicial District Court, El Paso County, Colorado (removed to U.S. District Court, District of Colorado) · 26-cv-50; 1:26-cv-00877-PAB
“… (Fourth Judicial District Court, El Paso County, Colorado, Case No. 26-cv-50, filed February 3, 2026; removed to United States District Court, District of Colorado, Case No. 1:26-cv-00877-PAB on March 4, 2026).”Page 15 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Officers and directors (individuals, not the company)
Concluded (2)
Department of Corporations of California v. Tutor Time
settledGovernment or regulatory action · Richard S. Weissman (named as a party) · filed 1999 · California Department of Corporations (Los Angeles County, California)
“… (Los Angeles County, California). This action related to litigation against Tutor Time, in which Richard S. Weissman was also named as a party.”Page 16 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
United States of America v. Tutor Time Child Care Systems, Inc., Lifecare Investments, Inc., Florida Academic Enterprises, Inc., Michael Weissman and Richard Weissman
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · Richard Weissman (our Director/Chairman/CEO) and Michael Weissman · filed 1996 · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California · C 96-2603
“… (US District Court for the Northern District of California, Index No. C 96-2603).”Page 15 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
Disclosure signals that moved the score
How this shows up in the verdict
- No bankruptcy, distress, or going-concern
The verdict grade is FranchiseVerdict's editorial assessment across SBA loan performance, unit growth, revenue and disclosure signals. It is not investment advice.
Before you weigh a lawsuit
How to read Item 3
A franchisor must disclose pending actions and any material civil action involving the franchise relationship, plus convictions or civil judgments for fraud, unfair or deceptive practices, or franchise-law violations, going back ten years. A case the franchisor brought against a franchisee counts too. Item 3 does not include every dispute: settled claims below the materiality line and matters resolved in private arbitration can be absent.
Questions worth asking current and former franchisees, using the contact list in Item 20:
- Were you, or anyone you know in the system, party to a dispute with the franchisor?
- Was it resolved by settlement, arbitration or a court, and on what terms?
- Has the number of disputes gone up or down since you signed?