Shaffer v. George Washington University

Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act. Read this website and the Notice carefully.

On May 1, 2023, a class action Complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 1:20-cv-01145-RJL, against The George Washington University, et al.

A Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit between Defendant George Washington University, et al. (collectively, “Defendant” or “GW”) and certain individuals who have alleged that they, and the Settlement Class Members, are entitled to partial refunds of tuition and fees for the Spring 2020 semester because GW transitioned to remote instruction in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with District of Columbia legal mandates.

The proposed Settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by GW, and GW denies all allegations of wrongdoing and disclaims all liability with regard to all claims in the Lawsuit.

You are a member of the Settlement Class if you are a student or a Payor who paid or incurred tuition and/or fees to any Released Party in connection with the Spring 2020 semester, whose tuition and/or fees have not been refunded in their entirety, and who is not excluded from the Settlement Class. 

Your Legal Rights and Options in This Lawsuit

Change Your Payment Options	The deadline to file your Non-Student Payor Payment Claim Form and Election Form has passed on March 11, 2024.
Exclude Yourself	The deadline to exclude yourself has passed on March 11, 2024.
Object	The deadline to object has passed on March 11, 2024.
Attend A Hearing	The court has granted Final Approval of the settlement on May 13, 2024.
Do Nothing	Students in the Settlement Class who do nothing automatically receive a payment by check to the student’s last known mailing address as reflected in GW’s records after the Effective Date of the Settlement Agreement. You will give up any rights you may have to sue GW about the issues in this case.

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained further in the Notice and on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of this website. For complete details, please see the Settlement Agreement, which is available here.