Michigan Supreme Court rules out refunds for college students upended by COVID-19 rules

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — College students seeking refunds because of a sudden shift to online classes or a change in campus housing during COVID-19 struck out Friday at the Michigan Supreme Court.

The court heard arguments nearly a year ago and ultimately decided to let a 2022 appeals court opinion stand.

The appeals court found there was no promise of live, in-person classes when the 2019-20 school year began and that housing contracts had provisions covering extraordinary circumstances.

Lawsuits targeted Eastern Michigan University, Central Michigan University and Lake Superior State University, though the result extends to other public schools that made major changes during the pandemic.

The plaintiffs “failed to demonstrate that the defendant universities breached any contractual agreement with them,” the appeals court said.

The Supreme Court did not issue a formal opinion, instead releasing a two-sentence order, approved by a 5-2 majority.

Justice David Viviano, joined by Justice Richard Bernstein, wanted to send the case back to the Court of Claims for more work.

“Plaintiffs do not argue that the universities failed to provide the classes for which they registered, but instead argue that once the pandemic began the universities did not provide the classes in the format for which the students registered,” Viviano said.