Jon Orleans Quoted in Fortune on Lawsuits Resulting from Campus Closures

Fortune magazine quoted Jonathan Orleans, co-chair of Pullman & Comley’s Colleges, Universities and Independent Schools practice, in an article on the largest higher education controversies of 2021.  Jon discussed remote learning lawsuits resulting from pandemic-related campus closures.

“In general, in order to have standing, plaintiffs only have to show that they have suffered some cognizable injury,” he says. “In these cases, the plaintiffs contend that what they have received is less than what they paid for, so they have suffered monetary damages. I haven’t seen a decision throwing any of these cases out of court for lack of standing.”

Jon says that most schools are asking the courts to dismiss the cases, but whether or not any of them end up being successful remains to be seen.

“The results depend very much on the specific facts in each case, and to some extent on the particular state in which the school is located,” he says. “Keep in mind that contracts are governed by state law, not by federal law, so we won’t necessarily get nationwide uniformity in the decisions in these cases.”

To read the full article, visit the Fortune website.