Judge rules against Harvard students asking for refund
BOSTON (KLKN) — A federal judge in Boston sided against a Harvard Law student and two master’s degree candidates who claim the school should at least partially refund their tuition due to the pandemic.
Sarah Zelasky, Ella Wechsler-Matthaei, and Abraham Barkhordar said they decided to attend Harvard because of the unique opportunities it offered, including networking and collaborating with professionals. But, when the campus shut down and the school turned to virtual learning during the course of the pandemic, the students feel they missed out on these crucial opportunities.
Havard did offer some accommodations but did not reduce tuition during remote instruction. Zelasky, Wechsler-Matthaei, and Barkhordar argued this breached express and implied contracts, unjust enrichment, and conversion.
However, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled against them, finding they failed to show Harvard had a contractual obligation to provide in-person instruction and access to facilities.
“Spring 2020 was not a normal time,” Talwani wrote, noting it would have been unreasonable for students to expect in-person instruction “even where, during a global pandemic, the Governor and public health officials dictated otherwise.”
