University of Colorado settles $5 million class action lawsuit

The University of Colorado has settled a class action lawsuit worth $5 million to students who were denied access to services already paid for during the COVID-19 shutdown. 

The lawsuit was filed April 18, 2020 during the shutdown. The suit alleged that CU breached its contract with students after they were charged fees to access various services which were no longer available once the shutdown began. CU refused to refund the money paid for those services. 

The attorneys representing the students released a statement that read in part, "It was the right decision to shut down a lot of facilities and services. But it was the wrong decision for public schools to keep money for services they weren't providing. Students generally are cash poor in the first place, and it's not fair to keep their money when they're getting nothing in return."

The settlement covers all students enrolled during the spring 2020 semester at the CU Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver and Anschutz campuses.

Students can access information about the class action lawsuit and settlement at cucovidsettlement.com. (Note: Some internet browsers may give a warning message about that website's safety, but the attorneys representing the students say it is safe.)