Team Authors Article in ‘Law360’ on College Refund Suits

Los Angeles Partner Robert Boone, St. Louis Of Counsel Michael Cannon and St. Louis Associate Jonathan Potts authored an article published May 19 by Law360 on the complex questions behind the rise of class action lawsuits seeking tuition refunds. Millions of students enrolled in classes at U.S. colleges and universities switched to distance learning when COVID-19 forced states to issue shelter-in-place orders. “Now that the dust has begun to settle, students have responded by filing a flurry of putative class actions, contending that they no longer receive the benefit of their bargain through remote learning,” they wrote. “Thus, a deceivingly simple – and largely overlooked – question about the U.S. educational system has surfaced: What exactly does tuition pay for? The answer to this question will not only drive the resolution of these cases on the merits, but also determine whether students will be able to obtain class action status to pursue these claims.”