Two universities have beat student claims that tuition fees should be refunded since they paid for terms that were moved online due to COVID-19, in a recent dismissal of two class action lawsuits.
A number of class action lawsuits have been filed by students, as well as their parents, demanding tuition and fee refunds from universities who shuttered their in-person services during the pandemic. Recently, Loyola University and Fordham University struck a win when a pair of courts concluded that statements made in course catalogs and advertisements were not enough to establish the plaintiffsโ claims.
Are you a Florida college student who was not refunded for fees you paid after schools closed due to the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns? If so, you may be eligible to join a class action lawsuit seeking reimbursement for certain school fees.
Plaintiff Andreea Gociman, the mother of a student, lodged the class action lawsuit against Loyola University Chicago, claiming the school stopped holding in-person classes on March 12, 2020 and moved them online. Despite this transition, as well as $10 million in CARES Act Aid, the school did not provide any reimbursement for tuition or fees, claimed Gociman.
Gociman pointed to marketing statements made by Loyola touting its in-person learning services, claiming that she and others who paid tuition are due a refund because of the limited nature of online courses.
Similarly, Fordham University student Kareen Hassan argued that he was unable to access the learning he had paid for when the school closed its campus.
โOnline learning options offered are subpar in practically every aspect, from the lack of facilities, materials, and access to faculty,โ alleged the lawsuit. โStudents have been deprived of the opportunity for collaborative learning and in-person dialogue, feedback, and critique.โ
In dismissing each class action, both the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois concluded that the marketing statements, including course catalogs and handbooks, failed to show that the institutions had made promises of in-person learning that they had broken when they moved classes online.
In addition, the Illinois federal court pointed to statements in its written materials indicating Loyola University reserved the right to change its content without notice at any time.
In tossing the class actions, the courts also noted that it was difficult for students and their parents to establish from their claims that the quality of education provided online is subpar to in-person learning.
Do you think university students are due a refund for in-person school closures during the coronavirus pandemic? Tell us in the comment section below!
Gociman is represented by Elizabeth A. Fegan of Fegan Scott LLC and Shanon J. Carson, Ellen T. Noteware, and E. Michelle Drake of Berger Montague PC.
Theย Loyola University COVID-19 Tuition Refund Class Action Lawsuitย isย Andreea Gociman v. Loyola University, Case No. 1:20-cv-03116, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Hassan is represented by Philip L. Fraietta and Sarah N. Westcot of Bursor & Fisher, PA.
The Fordham COVID-19 Tuition Refund Class Action Lawsuit is Kareen Hassan v. Fordham University, Case No. 1:20-cv-03265 in the U.S> District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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One thought on COVID-19 Tuition Refund Class Actions Dismissed
I did online courses