A California University of Pennsylvania student from Greensburg has sued the university for failing to refund pro-rated tuition for the online instruction she and thousands of other students received for the last part of the spring semester because covid-19 restrictions forced colleges to close.
Ashleigh Coffman claimed that the online education she and other students at the state school in Washington County received beginning March 30 was a “breach of contract” and was “materially deficient” and an “insufficient alternative” to the classroom instruction she paid for with her tuition, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh.
Neither Coffman nor her attorney, Gary Lynch of Pittsburgh, could be reached for comment.
The lawsuit claims more than $5 million could be at stake by having a federal judge certify Coffman’s legal action as a class-action lawsuit. There were about 4,850 undergraduate students and 1,986 graduate students — based on 2019-20 enrollment figures from Cal U, the suit states.
Coffman alleged that students attending Cal U in the spring paid between $3,858 and $7,523 in tuition for an on-campus educational experience, but never received a pro-rated refund when that was replaced by distance learning.
“The online learning options being offered to the university’s students are sub-par in practically every aspect as compared to what the educational experience” was on campus, the suit states. Some instruction included previously recorded lectures posted online for students to view on their own and other courses involved professors simply posting notes online for students to review, the suit claims.
Cal U spokeswoman Christine Kindl said the university does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Coffman also claims that Cal U “unjustly” enriched itself by holding onto the full tuition. She is seeking attorney fees in addition to the pro-rated refund.
Coffman recently graduated with a degree in marketing, according to her LinkedIn page.
David Pidgeon, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which includes Cal U, said none of the 13 other schools have been sued.
