Calif. Law Student's Class Action Wins $33M Tuition Refund
A lawsuit launched by a former law student at the University of California at Berkeley has netted some $33 million in refunds—make that $42 million, counting interest—for tuition overcharges to some 35,000 UC students.
Awards ranged from $1 to $12,000, with graduate students—who were hit with the biggest tuition increases–at the upper end of the scale, reports the Contra Costa Times.
An appeals court upheld in 2007 a verdict that the University of California unfairly raised tuition in 2003, after promising not to do so. The students’ suit alleged a breach of contract.
But the case didn’t reach a conclusion until the state supreme court this year declined to hear a further appeal, according to the newspaper. Most of the money was paid out in December.
“People have been very appreciative,” says lead plaintiff Mohammad Kashmiri, the former Berkeley law student. “It came at a great time, right before Christmas.”
Attorney Andrew Freeman of Baltimore was one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs.
Earlier coverage:
Associated Press: “High court upholds tuition refunds for some UC students”
Los Angeles Times: “8 Students Sue University of California Over Fee Increases”
