Suit by former UNC athletes claims substandard classes amounted to breach of contract
University of North Carolina women’s basketball team. Michelle Donahue Hillison / Shutterstock.com
A would-be class action lawsuit against the University of North Carolina and the NCAA claims the school failed to provide “legitimate educational instruction” to athletes.
The Hausfeld law firm filed the suit in North Carolina state court Thursday, report the Washington Post, USA Today, the New York Times and the Raleigh News & Observer. The name plaintiffs are former basketball player Rashanda McCants and former football player Devon Ram.
The suit (PDF) claims a breach of contract by the University of North Carolina for failing to provide the promised education to the athletes, and negligence by the NCAA for failing to implement adequate monitoring to detect academic fraud.
A report released in October found that more than 3,000 UNC students, about half of them athletes, took “paper classes” with little teaching and easy grading between 1993 and 2011.
The suit is the second class action against the school over classes for athletes. The first was filed in federal court in November on behalf of those who attended the school on football scholarships between 1993 and 2011.
