Northwestern University students who paid tuition during the spring, summer and/or fall 2020 quarters may be eligible for part of a $4 million class-action settlement.
The lawsuit accused Northwestern of breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims related to switching in-person learning to a virtual environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related state and local public health mandates and orders, according to the settlement website.
The university denies the allegations, but both sides agreed to the settlement to avoid ongoing legal costs and a possible trial.
The agreement creates a $4 million fund that will be used to pay costs and fees, with a portion of the dollars being distributed to class members.
While preliminary approval has been given, final approval is necessary for the settlement to move forward. As of Friday, it hasn’t been granted.
Here’s who is eligible for the settlement and what class members need to know.
Who is eligible?
Anyone who was a full-time student enrolled in a degree-conferring program at a Northwestern University campus in the United States for spring 2020, summer 2020 and/or fall 2020 and whose tuition was not fully funded by the university during those quarters is eligible.
For the spring term, class members will receive approximately $153 each, with those enrolled that term receiving 75% of the settlement fund. Summer 2020 class members will receive 7% of the fund, which amounts to roughly $61 per person.
Separately, 18% of the fund will be dedicated to those enrolled during fall 2020, with class members receiving approximately $35 each. Class members can receive a payment for each of the above terms they were enrolled in.
You don’t qualify for the class if you are related or married to the District Judge or Magistrate Judge presiding over the action, the judge’s law clerk, a current or former trustee, officer, director, agent, attorney, or employee at Northwestern, or you opt out of the settlement, according to the website.
How to claim
Anyone who is eligible will automatically receive a portion of the settlement, as long as final approval is given.
Class members who want to be excluded, allowing them to keep any rights to sue Northwestern separately over the legal claims, must opt out by March 30. To challenge the settlement, a written objection must be filed. That deadline is also March 30.
Anyone who objects can speak at the final approval hearing at 10 a.m. on May 19.
