Indiana University Tuition, Room & Board Payback

Date Filed: 5.6.2020

Case Number: 53C06-2005-CT-000771

Location Filed: Monroe Circuit Court

Plaintiff: Justin Spiegel

Summary: An Indiana University student (“student”) filed a class-action lawsuit against Indiana University demanding repayment for paid tuition, mandatory fees, or voluntary fees for privileges or services Indiana University failed to provide due to its COVID-19 related campus closure. Class Action Complaint and Jury Demand, Spiegel v. Trustees of Indiana Univ., 53C06-2005-CT-000771 (Monroe Cty. Cir. Ct. May. 6, 2020). The lawsuit was filed May 6, 2020, in the Monroe County Circuit Court and makes claims against Indiana University for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Id. The lawsuit highlights that as a precondition for enrollment, the student was required to and did pay tuition, as did all members of the proposed Class. Id. Additionally, the student paid tuition and fees for in-person instruction at Indiana University, which covers not just the academic education, but encompass an entirely different experience from the online program, such as face to face interaction with professors, mentors, peers, extra-curricular activities, and facilities. Id. 

The suit claims Indiana University breached its contract with students by failing to provide those services and has otherwise not performed under the contract. Id. Alternatively, Indiana University is unjustly enriched because it continued to charge for tuition and reaping the financial benefit of millions of dollars from tuition-payers, despite sending students home, closing its campus and residence halls, and changing courses for the worse Class Action. Id.

The complaint reads, “although Indiana University is still offering some level of academic instruction via online classes, Plaintiff and members of the proposed Class have been and will be deprived of the benefits of on-campus learning.” Id. As of September 19, 2019, Indiana University's total endowment net assets exceeded $2.3 billion. James Barham, The 100 Richest Universities: Their Generosity and Commitment to Research TheBestSchools.org (2020), https://thebestschools.org/features/richest-universities-endowments-generosity-research/ (last visited Jun 16, 2020).

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