$4,000 Tuition Lawsuit Against Servicemember Dismissed with Volunteer Legal Help

An Air Force servicemember’s university was holding the servicemember accountable for the costs of three classes she did not attend and brought a lawsuit against her for approximately $4,000. The servicemember asserted that one of the classes at issue was canceled due to low enrollment, and she never registered for the other two classes. The servicemember was also recently diagnosed with cancer and could not afford an attorney. The ABA Military Pro Bono Project quickly referred the servicemember to a qualified volunteer attorney in her area to represent her. This attorney was successful in changing the venue of the case, assert counterclaims against the opposing party and ultimately persuade the court to dismiss all claims against the servicemember entirely.  Subsequently, the servicemember’s attorney followed up with her base’s education center and informed them that there may be systemic issues with her university’s billing practices and recommended that they perform an audit. Due to the generous time and efforts of her attorney, this servicemember can now refocus on her health-related issues and military duties without the stress of a pending lawsuit against her.