Class Action Lawsuit against Syracuse University from Graduate for Breach of Contract, Explained
Syracuse University faces lawsuit over COVID-19 changes. Student alleges breach of contract for virtual classes. Details on petitioner and claims."
Syracuse University is facing a lawsuit for a breach of contract, and the petitioner has alleged in the lawsuit that “Syracuse was in a better position to balance the equities of the financial consequences of the pandemic and ensure that students were not forced to incur the financial strain”. Who is the petitioner, and why has the lawsuit been constituted against Syracuse University? Read on to know all the details.
As everyone is aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated a lockdown, and the education sector was one of the most severely hit. Many universities have asked boarding students to vacate the hostels. There were no classes, and many universities had started online classes virtually.
Syracuse University Lawsuit Filing and Allegations
The lawsuit alleged that Syracuse University had constituted a breach of contract since the fees and other charges were levied for real and not online and virtual classes. The lawsuit also alleged that charges for other extracurricular activities and sports were also levied, but no such activities took place. The students who paid tuition and fees for the spring 2020 semester must be compensated, and the fees and other charges must be waived or reduced.
The lawsuit was slapped by an undergraduate student during the spring 2020 semester, Benjamin Goldsmith, who alleged that the University had retained the fees for real and in-person classes and other services but did not provide the services promised. Instead, students were forced to get an education virtually, which falls short of the quality of education that one can get in real classes. The lawsuit was filed on December 15.
The lawsuit alleged that the retention of fees was not justified since the services of the required levels were not provided. It alleged that Syracuse University continued to collect fees normally after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the students were never provided with in-person education, experiences, and services.
At the onset of COVID, Syracuse University had started a temporary virtual classes program for the students but later made it permanent for the semester on March 16, 2020, when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Onondaga County.
The students had to participate in virtual classes for much of the second half of the spring 2020 semester. The students were also denied the facilities of the university’s fitness centers or libraries. Though the University did provide virtual classes, it was not what the petitioner had paid for.
In March 2020, the University said that it would reimburse the students who had to leave the hostel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the University has not refunded the tuition fees.
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