PROVIDENCE – A U.S. District Court judge on March 4 dismissed multiple lawsuits by Brown University students who alleged that they were owed a tuition refund from the Ivy League university after the COVID-19 pandemic last year forced Brown to close its campus and move to remote instruction for the rest of the spring semester.
Brown said Wednesday that it argued in its dismissal motion that the university still offered students an education despite the pandemic. Additionally, Brown was among multiple colleges to offer credits and/or reimbursements toward lost room and board due to students having to leave campus.
Brown said that Judge John J. McConnell Jr. noted in dismissing the claims that “no plausible reading” of Brown’s course catalogs, student handbooks, policies, marketing or other materials offer a contractual promise for in-person education. He also ruled that Brown reserved the right to alter how it administers its education offerings.
“While this Court’s central finding is that nothing in the complaint indicates a contractual obligation for Brown to hold in-person programs, the unique nature of this moment warrants emphasis,” McConnell wrote in his decision. “Brown … [was] responding to the remarkable circumstances of this pandemic – which has upended countless aspects of our society’s usual and customary practices. One can reasonably infer that the universities reserved their rights for situations just like what occurred in 2020 – unexpected events, in this case a global pandemic.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
