Columbia, Pace Universities Must Face Covid-19 Refund Claims

Columbia University and Pace University failed to shake proposed class suits seeking refunds of tuition and fees after classes moved online and student services were halted last spring in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a New York federal court said.

But Columbia shed claims that it breached contractual obligations by switching instructional format, because the students didn’t allege any specific promise to provide exclusively in-person classes, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said Feb. 26.

References to classroom locations and physical attendance in Columbia materials just memorialize the pre-pandemic practice, and marketing materials touting ...