Monmouth University Loses Bid to Dismiss COVID-19 Tuition Refund Action

CAMDEN, N.J. — A New Jersey federal judge has refused to dismiss a COVID-19 tuition refund action against Monmouth University, ruling that the plaintiffs have adequately alleged breach of an implied contract to reduce the cost per credit when switching to online instruction.

In a June 1 order, Judge Michael A. Shipp of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey explained that while plaintiffs failed to allege breach of a traditional contract, the court must “consider the bona fides of Monmouth’s decision making and the fairness of its COVID-19 remote learning implementation upon a full factual record,”