Burt v. Board of Trustees of the University of Rhode Island
United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
523 F. Supp. 3d 214 (2021)
- Written by Kate Luck, JD
Facts
Students of several Rhode Island universities (the students) (plaintiffs) sued the University of Rhode Island, Brown University, Johnson and Wales University, and Roger Williams University (collectively, the universities) (defendants) for breach of express and implied contracts after the universities transitioned from in-person to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The students claimed that they paid tuition for an on-campus university experience and that they paid certain additional fees for services, outlined in university handbooks and other materials, such as room and board and student health services, and student activities. The students sought refunds of tuition and the additional fees. As evidence of the universities’ contractual obligation to provide an in-person, on-campus experience, the students cited the universities’ descriptions of their campuses and facilities in advertising materials, descriptions of classes in their course catalogs, and the fact that the universities offered less costly online degree programs separate from their in-person programs. The universities moved to dismiss the complaint, claiming that they made no promise of an in-person education and that they had expressly reserved the right to alter their academic offerings.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (McConnell, C.J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 899,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 47,000 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
