Carnegie Mellon University has agreed to pay $4.8 million to settle a class action brought on behalf of students whose in-person classes were moved online when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The proposed settlement has been agreed to by the plaintiffs and been submitted to Judge Robert J. Colville in federal district court in Pittsburgh for approval. There are an estimated 13,337 students in the settlement class.
The Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) students’ class action was filed May 15, 2020. The students claimed that that they were entitled to refunds of tuition, fees, and other charges because, beginning in March 2020, CMU provided classes remotely in response to the COVTD-19 pandemic. The class action maintained that students who paid tuition and fees for the Spring 2020 semester had an implied contract with CMU that entitled them to in-person instruction, and that by switching to remote education in response to the pandemic, CMU breached that implied contract.
The plaintiffs also contended that the university’s shift to remote education gave rise to claims of unjust enrichment and conversion, or the taking of property without permission.
CMU has denied all allegations of wrongdoing but said it decided to enter into this settlement to “avoid further expense, inconvenience, and burden, and the uncertainty and risks of litigation.”
All participating students who had a class moved online will receive a pro-rata portion of the settlement fund and no student shall receive less than $50.
Topics COVID-19
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