University of Illinois Parent Files Class Action Lawsuit Seeking Tuition Refund

The parent of a University of Illinois student says he and others should receive a refund on tuition and other fees they paid after the school system suspended in-person activities in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus this spring.

Lead plaintiff James Tullman says his daughter was enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the spring and summer 2020 semesters. According to the complaint, the Urbana-Champaign campuses, as well as other campuses run by the University of Illinois System, were closed. Most students were forced to leave campus and take classes remotely, the plaintiff says.

However, despite closing most campus buildings and failing to offer other in-person services, the university system didn’t provide any kind of restitution to those who paid tuition for the spring and summer terms, the class action lawsuit alleges.

The failure to provide a tuition refund or restitution by the university system amounts to unconstitutional takings, a violation of the plaintiff’s and other Class Members’ due process rights, and an inverse condemnation of their property, he contends.

The defendant, the University of Illinois System, runs the University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Springfield and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

According to the complaint, in March 2020, the university system announced that all classes would be remote after the scheduled spring break that term. Subsequently, classes remained remote until the end of the term. Additionally, graduation ceremonies and other on-campus events were canceled and students were forced out of the dorms and told to move back home, the plaintiff says.

“Despite Defendants’ cancellation of live in-person instruction, its eviction of students from campus facilities for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, and the cancellation of all campus activities, Defendants have not offered adequate refunds or restitution of tuition, room and board, and fees paid to cover the cost of on-campus services that were no longer provided to students,” the class action lawsuit asserts.

Further, the plaintiff points out, summer term was also conducted via remote learning without any discount or deduction in fees.

And while the university system started the fall term on campus with supposedly safe in-person instruction, it sent students home for the fall break and finished the term remotely.

According to the complaint, the universities tout their in-person services, including campus life, access to campus buildings and other amenities, when recruiting students for enrollment.

Indeed, according to the plaintiff, he paid nearly $30,000 in tuition for his daughter to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the 2019/2020 academic year.

Students pay additional fees, including room and board of approximately $15,000, along with facility, health insurance, library and technology fees that add up to approximately $4,000.

The class action lawsuit points out there are many online and remote university and college options that do not charge nearly as much for attendance.

“Plaintiff Tullman’s daughter and members of the Classes did not choose to attend another institution of higher learning, but instead chose to attend the University and enroll in an in-person basis at a significantly higher tuition,” the complaint states. “The tuition and fees for in-person instruction at the University are higher than tuition and fees for online institutions because such costs cover not just the academic instruction, but encompass an entirely different experience.”

In addition, the University of Illinois System was provided more than $63 million through the federal government under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help students and provide online learning, the class action lawsuit says.

“Plaintiff and members of the Classes are entitled to a pro-rated refund or restitution of tuition, housing, and mandatory fees for the duration of the University’s COVID- 19 related closures for the in-person education and on-campus services and opportunities that Plaintiff and members of the Classes have been denied,” the complaint contends.

The class action lawsuit seeks to represent two Classes: those who paid tuition to a University of Illinois institution, along with those who also paid room and board for the spring 2020 term.

The plaintiff is seeking tuition and fee refunds for himself and proposed Class Members, along with damages and court fees.

Further, the plaintiff wants a court order stopping University of Illinois institutions from continuing to charge in-person tuition and fees for remote learning in the future.

This is not the first class action lawsuit to be lodged against a university by students and parents who want tuition refunds for coronavirus-related closures. Check out Top Class Actions’ coronavirus legal guide for more.

Did you or your child enroll in a university that curtailed in-person services due to the coronavirus? Were you offered a tuition refund? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

The lead plaintiff and proposed Class Members are represented by Katrina Carroll, Kyle A. Shamberg, Nicholas R. Lange, Edward Ciolko and Nicholas Colella of Carlson Lynch LLP; and Jeffrey K. Brown, Michael A. Tompkins and Brett R. Cohen of Leeds Brown Law PC.

The University of Illinois Tuition Refund Class Action Lawsuit is James Tullman et al. v. University of Illinois System, et al., Case No. 2020CH07046, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.

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