Lawsuit Seeks Tuition, Fees Reimbursement To Pepperdine Students

MALIBU, CA — A lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles alleges that Pepperdine University should be ordered to provide refunds to cover fees paid for spring and summer semester classes, which are now taking place online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The proposed class-action complaint, filed in federal court on Wednesday by Joseph Pinzon, the parent of a Pepperdine graduate student, alleges that despite sending his son home and closing the Malibu campus, Pepperdine "continues to charge for tuition, fees, and/or room and board as if nothing has changed, continuing to reap the financial benefit of millions of dollars from students."

In the suit, Pinzon contends that he paid $27,820 for tuition, about $7,835 for room and board, and a $126 campus fee for his son's tuition and fees for the spring and summer 2020 academic terms.

“We believe our client – and all others similar to him at Pepperdine and other universities – is entitled to this relief without question,” a representative from the law firm representing Pinzon wrote in an email to Patch on Thursday. “Students did not receive an adequate educational experience, were kicked off campus, and had no access to the amenities they were promised, which Pepperdine touts as integral to its educational experience. College isn’t cheap, and COVID-19 made Pepperdine’s spring 2020 semester pale in comparison to what it promised students.”

The representative said that if the court approves the lawsuit for class-action status, all students who paid tuition and did not receive full services from the university will be added to the suit. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff contends that he expected ``opportunities and services that his son did not receive, including on-campus education, facilities, services, and activities,'' according to the suit.

Pinzon further alleges that while he paid for his son's "academic experience, defendant instead offers plaintiff and the class members something far less: a limited online experience presented by Google or Zoom, void of face-to-face faculty and peer interaction, separated from program resources, and barred from facilities vital to study. Plaintiff and the class members did not bargain for such an experience."

The complaint seeks reimbursement of tuition and other campus fees. Similar lawsuits have been filed in recent weeks in Los Angeles against USC, Loyola Marymount University and the University of California and California State University systems.

Patch staffer Michael Wittner and City News Service contributed to this report.