A federal judge in Pennslyvania approved a $1.15 million settlement agreement between St. Joseph's University and a class of former students looking to recover tuition for the remote portion of the Spring 2020 semester, but declined to award class counsel the requested fee award of 33% of the settlement.

In a Nov. 18 decision, U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted the class's unopposed motion for settlement. The court also partially granted the class's unopposed motion for attorney fees, costs and case contribution, approving the $2,500 contribution award for the named plaintiff, while reducing the requested fees from 33.3% of the settlement award to 19%. In Cantave v. St. Joseph's University, the court concluded that the requested fees totaling $384,588.20 were excessive compared with similar types of suits and given the relatively straightforward, fast-moving litigation.