Pennsylvania College of Technology Tuition, Room & Board Payback

Date Filed: 5.5.2020

Case Number: 1:20-cv-00736

Location Filed: Middle District of Pennsylvania

Plaintiff(s): Michael James Lawson, Jr. & Tara Lawson

Summary: A Pennsylvania College of Technology student (“student”) filed a class-action lawsuit against Pennsylvania College of Technology demanding repayment for paid tuition, mandatory fees, or voluntary fees for privileges or services Pennsylvania College of Technology failed to provide due to its COVID-19 related campus closure. Class Action Complaint and Jury Demand, Lawson v. Pennsylvania Coll. of Tech., 20-CV-00736 (M.D. Pa May. 5, 2020). The lawsuit was filed May 5, 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and makes claims against Pennsylvania College of Technology 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 Pennsylvania College of Technology, 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 Pennsylvania College of Technology breached its contract with students by failing to provide those services and has otherwise not performed under the contract. Id. Alternatively, Pennsylvania College of Technology 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 Pennsylvania College of Technology 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 June 30, 2019, Pennsylvania College of Technology's total endowment net assets exceeded $ 19 million. Fast Facts | Pennsylvania College of Technology, Pct.edu (2020), https://www.pct.edu/about/fast-facts (last visited Jun 15, 2020).

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