Harvard Law School
A Harvard Law student is suing the university over “outrageous tuitions” for online classes.
Abraham Barkhordar, a rising second-year student at Harvard Law, filed a class-action lawsuit against the university after he alleges that he was forced to move home to California once the university announced the closure of campus due to COVID-19, Above The Law reports. Barkhordar says the remote learning environment has put him at a significant disadvantage with the time difference and lack of access to use the library or participate in study groups.
“I decided to sue Harvard because while they did make some effort … the first semester we were online to mitigate things, they just have not lowered tuition,” Abraham Barkhordar tells ABC News in an exclusive interview. “They’ve actually suggested that to mitigate the difficulties of online learning that we rent office space as students,” said Barkhordar. “I just felt overall disrespected and unheard by the administration. And I think, as I’ve learned this year, the way to get justice in America is through the legal system.”
CAMPUS CLOSURES
Back in March, law schools across the nation announced the closure of their campuses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The University’s goal is to reduce the spread of the coronavirus by minimizing the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time in close proximity with each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings,” according to Harvard Law’s website.
CALL FOR JUSTICE
Barkhordar is suing the university for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and conversion.
“This is one of the oldest, most prestigious law schools in the world,” he tells ABC News. “And that they’re hanging their students out to dry — and that they’re suggesting us to rent office space with our own money — is frankly ridiculous. And I’m glad the justice system gives me an opportunity to stand against it.”
Sources: Above The Law, ABC News, Tipping the Scales, Harvard Law
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