At Least 28 Universities Are Facing Lawsuits over Chinese Virus Response

At least 28 universities and colleges around the nation are facing lawsuits over their responses to the Chinese virus pandemic. In some cases, institutions have refused to refund housing costs for students that were forced to leave campus.

According to a report by the College Fix, universities and colleges are currently facing lawsuits over their refusal to provide refunds for students that have been forced off-campus. Many students claim they are entitled to financial relief for the switch to online courses, which they argue is of a lower quality than their standard campus instruction.

The Anastopoulo law firm has filed lawsuits against 19 universities and colleges around the nation including Drexel University and the University of Miami.

“Colleges and universities are not unlike any other business in America and they too have to tighten their belts during this unprecedented time,” one attorney at the Anastopoulo law firm said. “They are not any more entitled to keep money for services they are not delivering than the mom and pop bakery on Main Street.”

One firm, Hagens Berman, has filed lawsuits against at least seven different institutions. The list includes Washington University, St. Louis, Emory University, Duke University, the University of Southern California, George Washington University, Brown University, and Vanderbilt University.

Although attorney Steve Berman believes that the campus shutdowns were justified, he believes that students are entitled to relief for their various losses. These losses include a lack of access to campus resources such as fitness centers and libraries.

Moreover, many of the lawsuits allege that the quality of virtual instruction is much lower than in-person instruction. For example, many art and science courses are only effective when students can engage in hands-on activities.

“Common sense would dictate that the level and quality of instruction an educator can provide through an online format is lower than the level and quality of instruction that can be provided in person,” one of the lawsuits reads. “Moreover, the true college experience encompasses much more than just the credit hours and degrees.”

Breitbart News reported in March that a law professor at George Washington University School of Law predicted that dormitory closures would lead to class action lawsuits by students.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this story.