Board representing 3 Arizona universities sued for pro-rated fees after students leave amid pandemic

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PHOENIX - The governing board of Arizona's public university's are being sued for the pro-rated fees paid by students for of room and board since many left their residences due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The attorney representing the class-action lawsuit says the purpose of the lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents is to get back a pro-rated reimbursement of fees that students paid.

He makes it clear that this is not a lawsuit about tuition reimbursement.

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The 23-page lawsuit against the board, which represents Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, was filed after some students said they felt they were forced to leave campus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are a lot of unhappy students and their families as a result. No matter what the universities are saying, the students are being forced out when classes are being canceled, when there are increasing numbers of reported COVID-19 cases on campus, including some at the universities [that] allegedly failed to disclose early on and let it spread," said attorney Adam Levitt.

The lawsuit filed against the Board of Regents states they retained fees and costs after they encouraged students to move out to stop the spread of the COVID-19.

Attorneys at Dicello Levitt Gutzler Firm based in Chicago say the board failed to reimburse students for what they paid for amenities on campus, stating that other universities across the country provided refunds to students who were switched to online courses.

"They’re doing what they can to try to help their students graduate on time and get credits at the same time the students are not living on campus housing and they're not eating campus meal services and they’re not getting the benefit of the campus fees that they paid," Levitt said.

Room and board and meal plans at the universities range from $10,000 to $15,000 a year.

In response to the lawsuit, the board said: "Thank you for your inquiry. The board does not comment on pending litigation."