INDIANA – The Indiana Supreme Court last week rejected class-action lawsuits seeking refunds from colleges and universities for online classes during COVID saying they violated Indiana law.
The unanimous ruling from the Indiana Supreme Court means students looking for refunds must file individual lawsuits for any chance of reimbursement.
Last week’s decision overturned an Indiana Court of Appeals decision in October 2022 that allowed the class-action lawsuit to move forward.
The Indiana General Assembly passed a law in 2021 that retroactively prohibited class-action suits against colleges and universities for their actions during the pandemic.
The court’s five justices ruled the 2021 law does not violate the Indiana Constitution’s separation of powers.
The law “reflects an attempt to minimize postsecondary educational institutions’ litigation exposure for rapid, difficult decisions they had to make when confronting a historic disaster and complying with government directives,” Justice Derek Molter wrote for the court.
