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USC alumni settlement overview:
- Who: The University of Southern California (USC) has agreed to a settlement to resolve claims brought against it by Brian Ralston.
- Why: Ralston claimed USC improperly revoked and/or failed to provide alumni benefits to individuals who completed a graduate certificate program at USC, but who otherwise did not have a degree with the school.
- Where: The case was in the Superior Court of the State of California in Los Angeles.
The University of Southern California (USC) has agreed to a settlement that resolves claims the school improperly revoked and/or failed to provide alumni benefits to individuals who completed a graduate certificate program.
Plaintiff Brian Ralston claimed the university improperly revoked membership to its USC Alumni Association (USCAA) for individuals who completed a USC graduate certificate program but did not otherwise have a degree from the school.
Per the settlement agreement, the school will reinstate membership to the USCAA for all class members and issue a $50 electronic coupon to the USC Bookstore that can be redeemed online or on campus, if a printed coupon is requested.
USC has also agreed to make sure that any of its USC/USCAA advertising as it relates to its graduate certificate programs accurately describes the benefits afforded to individuals who pass them.
Eligible class members are not required to submit claim form to benefit from settlement agreement with USC
The settlement class has been defined as a total of 1,631 individuals who completed a graduate certificate program at USC and do not otherwise have a degree from the school and had their USCAA membership revoked and/or not provided to them since Jan. 1, 2000.
Eligible class members will not have to submit a valid claim form to be a part of the agreement, according to the settlement.
USC maintains that it has not engaged in any wrongdoing, but is agreeing to resolve the claims due to the “substantial expense of litigation, the length of time necessary to resolve the issues presented, and the inconvenience involved.”
In another case involving USC, a class action lawsuit was filed against the university earlier this year over claims it misrepresents to veterans and people of color that the quality of its online master of social work program is equivalent to its highly-esteem in-person version.
Did you complete a graduate certificate program at USC? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Lizelle S. Brandt and Andrew J. Kubik of Singian Law, and Courtney Stuart-Alban and Juan Pablo Alban of Stuart Alban Law.
The USC alumni settlement is In re: Ralston, et al. v. University of Southern California, et al., Case No. 22STCV18066, in the Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles.
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