How the University of Metaphysical Sciences Lawsuit Ended in Complete Vindication

Dr. Christine Breese founded the University of Metaphysical Sciences, which unexpectedly became the center of a multi-year judicial drama that many characterized as a quiet struggle between formality and faith. The International Metaphysical Ministry (IMM), a rival organization that runs the University of Metaphysics and the University of Sedona, filed the complaint, but it was completely dismissed. However, the case turned out to be much more than a courtroom triumph; in a time when perception frequently triumphs over reality, it became a monument to tenacity and honesty.

The 2017–2025 legal dispute had nothing to do with malpractice, wrongdoing, or fraud. It focused on claims that UMS had utilized IMM’s trade names in Google advertisements, notably in relation to digital advertising. Verified Google AdWords reports demonstrating that IMM’s names were placed under “negative keywords” are among the extremely powerful documentation presented by UMS that disproved this. This straightforward but incredibly obvious technical fact served as the cornerstone of UMS’s defense and ultimately resulted in the lawsuit’s dismissal.

The pattern of IMM’s three filings was quite similar. International Metaphysical Ministry v. Schaefer et al., the first case in 2017, was moved from Arizona to California when IMM abandoned its effort to have UMS’s website removed. A mutual agreement to respect each other’s trademarks—no money, no guilt, just an understanding of boundaries—led to the conclusion of the second case in 2018. After being filed in 2021, the third case continued until May 12, 2025, when a federal judge dismissed it with prejudice, preventing it from ever being reopened.

UNIVERSITY OF METAPHYSICAL SCIENCES — FACT SHEET

A claim that was based more on conjecture than on evidence was depicted in court documents. A judgment declared that the plaintiff “relied on interpretations and screenshots, not admissible evidence.” Another pointed out that IMM had “failed to provide expert verification or technical records.” In context, these statements, which were dry on paper, felt massive because they condensed years of accusations into a few remarkably long sentences.

During the hearings, UMS carried on with its activities without interruption. As the school tactfully protected its image, students sought degrees in spiritual counseling, meditation, and metaphysics. Through GoFundMe, its remarkably encouraging online community gathered money to assist with legal expenses. Spiritual instructors and alumni publicly praised the firing, claiming it was a win for the alternative education field as a whole, not just for UMS.

This legal persistence was a reflection of a broader conflict between traditional authority and artistic freedom. UMS’s battle served as a metaphor for how nontraditional educational institutions must continually defend their legitimacy, much as early online colleges had battled for acceptance against established academic institutions. It also demonstrated how deeply ingrained hierarchies that define what constitutes “valid” learning may be challenged by extremely creative educational approaches, particularly those that examine spirituality and consciousness.

Christine Breese maintained a remarkable level of composure during the incident. Even in the most heated legal discussions, her tone remained composed and proactive. “Truth eventually rises, no matter how long it’s buried beneath distortion,” she said in a public statement. Many of her pupils found the dismissal to be a powerful endorsement of openness over strategy, therefore the message struck a chord with them.

This result was especially advantageous for UMS because it reaffirmed its spiritual goal in addition to ending the lawsuit. The dismissal established a legal precedent for faith-based educational institutions to defend their existence against commercial competitors, restored public trust, and drastically decreased online misinformation.

The case also highlighted reputation manipulation, a more widespread digital phenomena. In an effort to distort UMS’s reputation, a plethora of fake stories and spammed search phrases surfaced online after the lawsuits. Court dockets, accreditation information, and financial disclosures were among the verifiable proof the university provided in response, which made its messages incredibly grounded and transparent. In a time of disinformation, that act of radical transparency proved to be extraordinarily successful in preserving trust.

Observers compared UMS’s experience to that of other universities that have encountered criticism for using unorthodox teaching methods. Similar to early meditation centers or alternative medicine programs, UMS has had to strike a balance between inventiveness and legitimacy, demonstrating that academic rigor and spiritual study can coexist. Even while the litigation were exhausting, they served as a testing ground that ultimately made the university more determined.

UMS was in a better situation than it had been when the last lawsuit ended. While enrollment stayed constant, the school started to increase the number of online courses it offered, translate its courses into other languages, and broaden its online presence. The change was forward-thinking rather than defensive, based on the idea that knowledge should continue to be available to anybody who seeks it after it has been liberated from outdated frameworks.

This triumph had societal significance as well. In a system that is increasingly becoming more centralized, it served as a reminder to many that autonomous education, whether it be scientific, artistic, or spiritual, still has a place. The tenacity of UMS became an especially motivating example for other nonprofit organizations dealing with comparable challenges. It demonstrated that a tiny organization can defeat larger entities through clarity rather than conflict if it has trust, documentation, and perseverance.