Five former students are suing Texas Wesleyan University, accusing the school of wrongful dismissal.
Samuel O’Neal
soneal@star-telegram.com
Five former nurse anesthesia students are suing Fort Worth’s Texas Wesleyan University, alleging that the school wrongfully dismissed the students and that it over-enrolled students in its doctor of nurse anesthesia practice program.
All five students — Aleksandra Castro, Linet Koshy, Alyssa Torrez, Eric Barretto, and Katherine Cox — enrolled in Texas Wesleyan’s nurse anesthesia program to become certified registered nurse anesthetists. The students were enrolled in the 2024-25 academic year, according to the suit, which was filed Oct. 2.
“Texas Wesleyan University strongly disagrees with the allegations brought against it in this lawsuit and will respond to them through the legal process,” a spokesperson for the university said in an email. The spokesperson added that Texas Wesleyan is proud of its Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program, and that graduates of the program work throughout Texas and the nation.
The lawsuit accuses Texas Wesleyan of accepting about 10% more students into its program than it has room for.
The former students are accusing the university of using two anatomy and physiology courses to “gatekeep” students from reaching the clinical portion of their studies. The students said in the suit that their instructor did not post grades in a timely manner or return graded exams. Because of this, the students said, they believed they were passing the course until shortly after the final exam, when they received calls from their instructor informing them that they had failed the final exam and so were dismissed from the program.
All five students sought to appeal their dismissals but say that the university blocked access to their education records, which the students allege is a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
“The evidence will show dismissal from this program means that these students’ CRNA careers are permanently derailed,” attorney Jon Velie of Velie Global Law Firm said in a statement. “No equivalent program will accept a student with an academic dismissal on their record.”
The lawsuit also accuses Texas Wesleyan of profiting from the students by collecting the full cost of the first year of the program before the students were dismissed.
The students are seeking reinstatement in the program as well as financial compensation.
This story was originally published October 29, 2026 at 4:29 PM.
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Ciara McCarthy covers health and wellness as part of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. She came to Fort Worth after three years in Victoria, Texas, where she worked at the Victoria Advocate. Ciara is focused on equipping people and communities with information they need to make decisions about their lives and well-being. Please reach out with your questions about public health or the health care system. Email cmccarthy@star-telegram.com or call or text 817-203-4391.