SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The City of San Francisco is suing one of its biggest landlords: the Academy of Art University. The school's sprawling real estate empire includes 40 properties across the city.

The Academy of Art University was founded in San Francisco in 1929. In the past 10 years or so it has rapidly expanded to nearly 9,000 students, gobbling up real estate for classrooms and dorms.

Academy of Art University's School of Fashion is often cited as one of the top fashion design schools in the world.* While we appreciate the accolades, it's important to note that we are much more ...

Students in the Ecorche studio of the Academy of Art University's school of fine art sculpture at the Cannery in San Francisco, California, viewed on thursday, march 17, 2016. The Planning ...

The median family income of a student from Academy of Art is $66,500, and 28% come from the top 20 percent. About 1.6% of students at Academy of Art came from a poor family but became a rich adult.

The city values the settlement at $60 million in total. Elisa Stephens, president of the Academy of Art University, at the United Nations on November 19, 2015. Photo Jemal Countess/Getty Images.

“Academy of Art University’s lawless behavior puts honest competitors who play by the rules at an unfair disadvantage. That's why City Attorney Dennis Herrera feels strongly that it's ...

Based in San Francisco, Academy of Art University is the nation’s largest private art and design university, and has students around the world enrolled in its online degree programs.