NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
Gladfelter v. Susquehanna University, Civil Action No. 4:24-cv-00382 (M.D. Pa.)
ATTENTION: ALL STUDENTS ENROLLED AT SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY WHO PAID TUITION AND/OR FEES FOR THE SPRING 2020 SEMESTER BUT HAD THEIR IN-PERSON CLASS(ES) MOVED TO ONLINE LEARNING
If you are a Settlement Class Member, you do not have to do anything to participate in and receive the benefits of the proposed Settlement.
The class action being settled is captioned Gladfelter v. Susquehanna University, Civil Action No. 4:24-cv-00382 (M.D. Pa.). This case is a putative class action, meaning that the Settlement Class Representative—David Gladfelter—brought this action as an individual acting on behalf of a putative class of all people who paid tuition and/or fees for the Spring 2020 semester at Susquehanna. The Settlement Class Representative alleged claims for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. After a comprehensive mediation, the Parties came to the proposed Settlement.
If you were a student enrolled at Susquehanna University during the Spring 2020 semester, have paid or were credited with having paid any Tuition and/or Fees for the semester and were registered for at least one in-person class for the semester; then you are part of the proposed settlement class (a “Settlement Class Member”). If you are a Settlement Class Member, you do not have to do anything to participate in and receive the benefits of the proposed Settlement.
Your payment will be sent automatically by first class U.S. Mail to your last known mailing address on file with the University Registrar. Class Members will also have the option to click on the Election Form tab on this website to: (a) provide an updated address for sending a check; or (b) elect to receive the Settlement Benefit by Venmo or PayPal instead of a paper check. This action must be taken no later than forty-five (45) days after the Effective Date, as defined in the proposed Settlement. That date will also be posted on the Settlement Website when it is known, but it will be some time after the Final Approval Hearing, currently scheduled for June 16, 2025.
If you do not want to participate in this proposed Settlement— meaning you do not want to receive the Settlement Benefit, and you do not want to be bound by any judgment entered in this case—you may exclude yourself by mailing a signed opt-out request to the Settlement Administrator, which must be postmarked no later than February 24, 2025. Be aware that the statute of limitations may impact your ability to file a claim. If you instead want to object to this proposed Settlement because you think it is not fair, adequate, or reasonable, you may submit an objection, which also must be postmarked no later than February 24, 2025.
Please follow the detailed instructions outlined in the Long Form Notice and the Settlement Agreement to properly opt-out from, or object to, the proposed Settlement.
The Court has preliminarily approved the proposed Settlement, but the distribution of payments will occur only if the Court grants final approval of the proposed Settlement. The Final Approval Hearing in this case is scheduled for June 16, 2025. At that hearing, the Court will consider whether to grant final approval of the proposed Settlement, and whether to approve payment from the Settlement Fund of: (1) an award to the Settlement Class Representative for his service in this litigation; and (2) Class Counsel’s requested attorneys’ fees, which will not exceed thirty-three and one-third percent of the Settlement Fund and will be posted on this site after filing, and reimbursement for litigation costs.
To review the Long Form Notice, review other important documents, including the Settlement Agreement, and obtain more information about the proposed Settlement please click on the appropriate tabs at the top of this page.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT OR SUSQUEHANNA CONCERNING THIS NOTICE OR THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT