Lawsuit against UM system claims value of classes decreased during pandemic

COLUMBUIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A class-action lawsuit filed against the University of Missouri System claims the system failed to offer a sufficient refund to students after on-campus activities were canceled and in-person classes were moved online.

The lawsuit said University of Missouri students "did not receive the in-person educational experience that they paid for during part of the 2020 spring semester." It also said the decision to cancel on-campus activities and hold in-person classes online "deprived of the full value of the educational experience" students paid for.

St. Louis-based attorney Richard Cornfeld is one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit against the system. He said the value of online-only classes does not compare to in-person education.

"Students aren't getting the same experience with their professors, with their fellow students," Cornfeld said. "The online classes are not as valuable, they aren't getting the same educational experience as they would if hey had in person classes, yet they are still paying for the in-person experience."

The lawsuit said that it is not challenging the system's decision to close university campuses.

"The University of Missouri did the right thing in shutting down the campus because it wouldn't have been safe," Cornfeld said. "But that online education is not the same."

The lawsuit claims the system broke its contract with students after fees and tuition that paid for in-person experiences were canceled.

Cornfeld couldn't put an exact dollar amount on how much he believes the system owes students. He said for certain fees, they hope the university will refund for the amount of times students could access the facilities they were paying for.

The lawyers will have to try to put a number on the value of education lost by going fully online, Cornfeld explained.

"Hopefully the jury in this case, if it goes to trial, will be able to value that say 'well they payed X dollars for tuition but the education they received was only worth Y dollars,' so what's X minus Y," Cornfled said.

The University denied the claim that the value of education was cheapened by moving solely online.

We vigorously deny the claims asserted in this lawsuit. We are proud of the work our faculty and staff have done to serve our students during this time of global pandemic. Their work allowed the university to continue delivering education and supporting the needs of our students despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. The money that students and their families pay goes back directly into providing a quality education whether that is online or in-person.

Christian Basi, UM/MU Spokesperson

The system said it has already provided refunds to students on multiple fees:

• Room and Board – prorated for the spring semester (approximately 45% refund for MU)
• Dining Costs – the remainder of meal plans balances was either moved to the fall semester or a market value of the remainder was determined and refunded to students if they were graduating or didn’t plan to return in the fall.
• Recreation Center Fee – A portion of the fee (approximately $80 for MU)

The system redistributed about $25 million to families and students for room and board refunds.

This comes as the university is bracing for a hit to its revenue and more state dollars potentially being withheld from the System. Basi could not comment on the impact this could have financially to the University.

Cornfeld said regardless of the financial situation the institution is in, students still deserve a refund.

"I think if you sell something to somebody for a certain price and you don't provide it to them, you own the the difference," Cornfeld said.

The suit is seeking payment for damages it claims were brought on by the university. Cornfeld said this is part of a larger discussion nationwide, as similar suits are happening across the nation.

"I expect there will be more as more students realize what they are being deprived of and yet they are paying for something they didn't get," Cornfeld said.

The lawsuit was filed in the Boone County Circuit Court. Cornfeld said the next step will be serving the university and awaiting its response.