UPDATE: University of Delaware settles for $6.3 million after 21,000 students sue for Covid tuition reimbursement
Reporting by Campus Reform in April shared details about the plaintiffs’ arguments of unjust enrichment and breach of contract.
After a failed appeal for staying proceedings, the school has ultimately settled with those students for $6.3 million.
The University of Delaware will pay out $6.3 million to settle with over 21,000 students who filed a lawsuit against the school for charging full tuition when they were sent home to attend classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news report by ABC News.
Reporting by Campus Reform in April shared details about the plaintiffs’ arguments of unjust enrichment and breach of contract after paying full tuition for pandemic-era online courses, when online courses were previously offered at a lower rate
The plaintiffs’ argument, according to ABC News, stated that the University of Delaware treated online and in-person learning as separate offerings charging different tuition rates, so when students paid full tuition, the school began a contract with them to provide an equivalent experience.
According to Judge Stephanos Bibas’ memorandum opinion: Before settling, the University appealed for a stay of proceedings for four reasons. Among them, U Delaware argued that it would suffer irreparable damage.
U Delaware claimed that it would “waste resources helping plaintiffs notify class members” and its reputation would “suffer if former students are told that it may have wronged them,” as characterized by Bibas.
“That reputational risk is not high here,” Bibas wrote.
Bibas finally concluded that the proceedings would continue: “I find no reason to stay the litigation here, so I deny U. Delaware’s motion.”
The University of Delaware was contacted for comment, but as of this writing, it has not responded.
