UF shut down case headed to Florida Supreme Court

TALLAHASSEE — A potential class-action lawsuit has gone to the Florida Supreme Court in a dispute about whether the University of Florida should return fees to students because of a campus shutdown early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attorneys for UF graduate student Anthony Rojas filed a notice this week that is a first step in asking the Supreme Court to take up the case. The move came after a divided panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal in November said an Alachua County circuit judge should have dismissed the lawsuit, which seeks refunds of fees paid for transportation, health-care and athletics services that were not provided because of the shutdown.

The UF case is one of numerous similar lawsuits filed across the state and country after students were sent home from campuses in 2020 to try to prevent the spread of the virus. Classes were held online.

The notice, which was posted Friday on the Supreme Court website, does not detail arguments that Rojas’ attorneys will make. But it said the 1st

District Court of Appeal ruling “expressly and directly conflicts with the decision of another district court of appeal on the same question of law.”

Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal last year refused a request by the University of South Florida to dismiss a similar potential class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of student ValerieMarie Moore. The Supreme Court on Jan. 5 declined to take up an appeal by USF.

As another example of conflicting court decisions on the issue, the 3rd District Court of Appeal

CHARLOTTE KESL/THE NEW YORK TIMES University of Florida students were sent home from campuses in 2020 to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A dispute about whether UF should return fees to those students is heading to the state Supreme Court.