Many university students who feel their school has failed to properly educate them or has mistreated them want to sue their university.
These lawsuits tend to be based on three things; breach of contract, negligence, or fraud. However, most of these lawsuits fail, especially those that seek damages for not having received a proper education. Additionally, going up against a university, which possesses a lot of money and a big legal team, can be financially and emotionally draining.
Before you threaten to sue your university, it’s important to consider the many other steps you can take to remediate an issue. DC Student Defense can help you with these steps, as well as advise whether or not suing your school is a feasible option.
Sometimes when students receive a low grade or feel a professor or school has failed to deliver on their promise of a quality education, they may feel that a lawsuit is the way to go.
Consider these steps before you write an angry letter to your school:
Consider why you received a poor grade or grades.
If you want to sue your school because you received a poor educations and/or poor grades as a result, you would likely be filing it under a breach of contract cause of action.
When you were admitted, the school promised you a valuable degree- and you feel they aren’t delivering.
As upsetting as low grades can be, before taking action it’s important to reflect genuinely on what grade you may have deserved, and really consider if you went above and beyond to fulfill all of the requirements of the syllabus. Having a strict or difficult professor will not be enough to warrant legal action.
Additionally, many of these lawsuits are based on the “promises” made to students in admissions materials or student handbooks. But, if you look closely, such materials often give the school the right to change or reconsider these obligations where they see fit.
If you continue to feel you have a case against your school, be sure to read these materials carefully.
Speak to a lawyer before contacting higher-ups in the administration.
Often, an issue with grades or quality of a class can be resolved informally without any legal proceedings. If the issue is presented to a dean or president within the university, there may be a solution such as retaking the class or redoing assignments.
However, you shouldn’t write this letter alone. Having an attorney to help you write it, or even send it, on your behalf can indicate to the school that you take the matter seriously.
Seek Other Resources
Student have attempted to sue schools for emotional distress. These claims are unlikely to hold up in court, especially for college students.
The school is under no obligation to care for their students emotionally and even so, often provide emotional and counseling resources for free or low cost. If you are experiencing emotional distress or are struggling with mental health, it’s important to seek help or consider taking a leave of absence.
Suing for Civil Rights Violations
If you believe your Civil Rights have been violated by your university, your case will likely be viewed more seriously than the cases described above. For example, there have been 459 investigations into universities for violating Title IX, the law which guarantees students the right to an education free from gender and sex based discrimination.
If you have been involved in a Title IX case and feel your cases was mishandled, you should contact a lawyer experienced in Title IX cases to discuss your options.
