WBAL reports Democratic attorneys general in 18 states and the District of Columbia, including Maryland's Brian Frosh, are suing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over her decision to suspend rules meant to protect students from abuses by for-profit colleges.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Washington and demands implementation of borrower defense to repayment rules.

The rules aim to make schools financially responsible for fraud and forbid them from forcing students to resolve complaints outside court.

They were created under President Barack Obama’s administration and were to take effect July 1.

“Maryland has thousands of students who have been victimized by Corinthian and other deceitful for-profit schools,” Frosh said in a statement. “The law requires, and we demand, that the Department of Education implement the rules that protect our students from predatory practices.”

On June 14, DeVos announced the rules would be delayed and rewritten, saying they created “a muddled process that’s unfair to students and schools.”

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is leading the lawsuit and says DeVos’ decision is “a betrayal of her office’s responsibility and a violation of federal law.”