MALIBU—Pepperdine University was served with a lawsuit on Wednesday, June 3 by a parent of a graduate student for not refunding the spring or summer semesters that got cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Pepperdine was founded in 1937 by entrepreneur George Pepperdine in South Los Angeles before moving locations to Malibu in 1972. They are affiliated with the Churches of Christ.
The campus had to close temporarily on March 13 along with all universities because of the coronavirus, which forced the university to move all classes to an online platform.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by plaintiff Joseph Pinzon who requested reimbursements for tuition and fees including housing.
The suit states that: “Defendant 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.”
The plaintiff indicated that he has paid a total of $27,820 in tuition with $7,835 for room and board and $126 for a campus life fee. In addition, there will be a health fee if the student is not covered by the parents’ insurance.
The lawsuit states Pepperdine allegedly had inconsistent prorations for housing and dining refunds and has not agreed to refund any tuition or mandatory fees.
Pinzon said they plan on raising his son’s graduate program tuition by 3.8 percent for the upcoming fall semester.
Pepperdine is one of many universities in Los Angeles that have been served class-action lawsuits concerning refunds about tuition as a result of the coronavirus closing down universities.
