Well, back in 2020, when the whole COVID thing was going on and the entire world was in a panic mode, sure enough, just like any other school or college, the University of Florida (UF) was also shut down for a while. And this is how in a matter of days, we saw how everything was switched to online classes, dorms were vacated, and on-campus services such as gyms, buses, and sports facilities were all shut down. But the thing is, the students of UF had already paid for these services. So many out there began to question whether or not the UF should return or refund the money to the students. Well, that is precisely what this University of Florida Class Action Lawsuit is all about. See, it is still a hot topic in 2025, but many out there don’t know what became of this case or where it stands right now. So, if you’re one of those, then just keep on reading to find out more.
What’s the Lawsuit About?
The case is in the hands of Anthony Rojas, a graduate student who argued back in 2021 that students paid for services they never received. This is not about tuition; no one is asking for class refunds. Much of the lawsuit is about other fees such as transportation, health services, and athletics.
In this case, imagine that you bought a ticket, but the event did not happen because the service was canceled. Whatever you paid for has not been rendered, and now students want their money back.
How Did This Lawsuit Get Here?
So basically, here’s what happened. There was a judge sitting in Alachua County who said, “Alright, this case can move forward.” Suddenly, the First District Court of Appeal swoops in and puts the kibosh on it in 2022. Why, you ask? Sovereign immunity, they say. It sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It is merely a shield, a sort of legal armour protecting state schools like UF from being sued unless very particular conditions are met.
It was declared by the court of appeals that no express written contract was given concerning the services. That is to say, with no signed paper, no case stands. Judges even felt sorry for the students, but were unbending with the situation because their hands were tied.
Then, in July 2025, the highest court of Florida came in and switched the game around. Coming at it from a 5-2 perspective, the court said, “Hold on now, maybe those fees constitute a form of contract.” If not expressed plainly, there are what are known as “implied covenants,” or basically unspoken understandings between the parties on expectations. They never actually said that students would inevitably be paid back their money; that, however, the case needed to be reconsidered.
Not everybody was rushing to see this one. On two occasions, they expressed the view that the implied contract theory was going too far, and they warned that the effect would be to make the University of Florida liable for things to which it had never officially agreed.
How Did UF React?
From ever having that, the University of Florida felt compelled to challenge the judicial decree. And, late July of 2025, the lawyers came forth with their petition comprising 13 pages for a rehearing. The petition basically went, “Supreme Court, you missed something very crucial: just where does sovereign immunity go to?”.
To put it in other words, UF wants the court to evaluate whether State law permits its students to sue for fees in the first place. If the court declines to reconsider, UF nevertheless requests a remand to the appeals court. The university is digging in on the issue, so to speak, because if the students win, the university probably loses millions of dollars.