Appeals court allows class action lawsuit over fees during USF’s COVID-19 shutdown
ourt has given the green light for a class action lawsuit involving the University of South Florida’s potential refund of fees to students due to a campus closure during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A panel of three judges from the 2nd District Court of Appeal supported a lower court’s decision to certify the class action lawsuit brought forward by ValerieMarie Moore’s legal team. This case is just one of many across Florida and the nation seeking reimbursement for student payments given for services not rendered amid pandemic-induced campus closures in 2020.
Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Darren Farfante granted the request made by Moore’s lawyers to establish a class action that would impact students enrolled at USF in 2020 and the spring semester of 2021. The essence of the lawsuit centers on the allegation that the university violated its contractual agreement with Moore and withheld fees.
While numerous similar cases against educational institutions have been dismissed, the 2nd District Court of Appeal made the decision not to reject USF’s case back in 2022. Meanwhile, the Florida Supreme Court reviewed a comparable lawsuit against the University of Florida the previous year but is yet to deliver a verdict.
