The named plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit has appealed after a Hillsborough County circuit judge rejected arguments that the University of South Florida should refund money to students because services were not available during a COVID-19 campus shutdown in 2020.
Attorneys for plaintiff ValerieMarie Moore filed a notice Saturday of appealing Judge Darren Farfante’s June 3 ruling to the 2nd District Court of Appeal.
The case is one of numerous similar lawsuits filed in Florida and other states seeking refunds for students.
The Florida lawsuits have centered on fees that students paid for services such as transportation and athletics, not tuition.
Farfante ruled that the USF Board of Trustees, the defendant in the case, was entitled to sovereign immunity, a concept that generally shields government agencies from liability. He wrote that it had not been shown that USF policies and regulations “contain any language obligating USF to provide any specific in-person or on-campus services at any specific time.”
The Florida Supreme Court is considering a similar case involving the University of Florida.
