Susquehanna U reaches $675k settlement in COVID-19 class action lawsuit
A liberal arts university located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania has reached a settlement with students over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 spring semester.
Susquehanna University will pay $675,000 in the class action lawsuit for shutting down campus and requiring students to learn remotely.
A liberal arts university located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania has reached a settlement with students over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 spring semester.
Susquehanna University will pay $675,000 in the class action lawsuit for shutting down campus and requiring students to learn remotely, The Patriot-News reports.
On Thursday, a notice of the proposed settlement was reportedly filed in which the school denied liability but has nonetheless approved the class action lawsuit. As a result of the document, over 2,100 students will soon be informed of their ability to receive compensation.
The Patriot-News has reported that the plaintiffs argued for a pro rata reimbursement of their university tuition due to the decision to make classes remote.
Susquehanna did not return to in-person classes until roughly midway through the 2021 spring semester.
On March 4, the university announced it was ceasing its COVID-19 protocols in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control’s call to end the 5-day isolation guidelines.
”Given that the 5-day isolation was the final requirement of Susquehanna’s protocols, we will transition to managing Covid similar to other respiratory ailments,” the school stated. “We understand that this decision may prompt questions, but we assure you that it has been made based on health expert guidance.”
In August, the Michigan Supreme Court denied students’ appeals to receive partial reimbursement from three public universities due to their restrictive COVID-19 policies. In a 5-2 ruling, the court argued that the students “failed to demonstrate that the defendant universities breached any contractual agreement with them.”
In June 2023, the University of Delaware agreed to a settlement of over $6 million to reimburse students for disruptive learning as a result of COVID-19 protocols in 2020.