Columbia Students Seek $12.5 Million Covid Refund Deal Approval

Columbia University students are seeking approval of a $12.5 million settlement to resolve would-be class claims in a lawsuit demanding refunds, after the school canceled in-person classes due to Covid-19 in Spring 2020.

If the deal wins the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York’s approval, it would represent a full recovery for the students’ alleged $8.56 million in damages arising from unrefunded fees for the portion of the semester conducted remotely.

The roughly $4 million that Columbia would pay above the $8.56 million in alleged damages accounts for administrative expenses, attorneys’ fees, class representative awards, and ...