FAQs


Basic Information

The Notice explains the proposed Settlements in a class action lawsuit called Henry, et al. v. Brown University, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00125, and the legal rights and options of the members of the Settlement Class to participate in the Settlements, or not, before the Court decides whether to give final approval to the Settlements. The Notice explains the Action, the proposed Settlements, your legal rights, the benefits available, eligibility for those benefits, and how to get them. The Honorable Matthew F. Kennelly in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is overseeing this Action.

The persons or entities who started this case are called the “Plaintiffs.” The Plaintiffs are Andrew Corzo, Sia Henry, Alexander Leo-Guerra, Michael Maerlender, Brandon Piyevsky, Benjamin Shumate, Brittany Tatiana Weaver, and Cameron Williams. 

The Court has provisionally certified the Settlement Class. The Court has also approved Andrew Corzo, Sia Henry, Alexander Leo-Guerra, Michael Maerlender, Brandon Piyevsky, Benjamin Shumate, Brittany Tatiana Weaver, and Cameron Williams to act as Settlement Class Representatives on behalf of the Settlement Class for purposes of the Settlements only.

The universities Plaintiffs sued in this Action are the “Defendants.” Defendants are Brown University, California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Cornell University, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame du Lac, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University. Although these Settlements resolve claims against only ten of these seventeen Defendants, Settlement Class members who attended any of the seventeen Defendants may be eligible to file a claim.

Generally, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants engaged in an anticompetitive conspiracy in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants conspired to fix or otherwise limit the amount of financial aid students received, and thereby to artificially inflate the net prices that Settlement Class members paid to attend the Universities during certain time periods. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants conspired through an organization called the 568 Presidents Group, of which all of the Defendants were members during some or all of the time period. Members of the 568 Presidents Group allegedly shared sensitive information regarding financial aid and financial aid principles and allegedly agreed to create and implement common principles used in calculating students’ “financial need” that, Plaintiffs say, all schools participating in the alleged conspiracy agreed to adopt. Absent participation in this alleged conspiracy, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants would have competed with each other to award more financial aid. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants’ participation in the alleged conspiracy artificially reduced the amount of financial aid Settlement Class member students received.

Defendants deny each and every one of Plaintiffs’ allegations of unlawful or wrongful conduct by the Universities, deny that any conduct of the Universities challenged by Plaintiffs caused any damage whatsoever, and deny all liability of any kind. Defendants have asserted that they had no agreement with other Universities regarding their financial aid policies, that each University’s financial aid policy was lawful and designed to promote socio-economic diversity at its institution by enhancing financial awards, that the Universities have valid defenses to Plaintiffs’ allegations, and that Plaintiffs’ claims would have been rejected prior to trial, at trial, or on appeal.

You may obtain more information regarding the specific allegations of the Action by reviewing the Second Amended Complaint, which is available on the Important Documents page.

In a class action, people or businesses sue not only for themselves but also on behalf of other people or businesses with similar legal claims and interests. Together all people or businesses with similar claims and interests form a specifically defined class and are class members. For purposes of these Settlements, the Court has certified the Settlement Class (discussed above and further in FAQ 5). This means that if the Court approves these Settlements, they are applicable to all members of the Settlement Class (except those who follow the appropriate process to exclude themselves).

Plaintiffs and Settlement Class Counsel believe that the members of the Settlement Class have been damaged by Defendants’ conduct, as described in the Action (including the Complaint and any amendments). Defendants believe that Plaintiffs’ claims lack merit and would have been rejected prior to trial, at trial, or on appeal. The Court has not decided which side was right or wrong or if any laws were violated. Instead, Plaintiffs and Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University agreed to settle the case and avoid the delays, costs, and the risk of trial, and the appeals that would follow a trial.

These Settlements are the product of extensive arm’s length negotiations, between experienced counsel. Settling this case allows members of the Settlement Class to receive cash payments (see FAQ 6 below). In addition, under the Settlements, Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University have agreed to complete certain discovery as detailed in the Settlement Agreements.

Plaintiffs, Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University have agreed to settle this case after two years of extensive litigation and discovery. As part of discovery, Plaintiffs have reviewed and analyzed tens of thousands of pages of documents turned over by the Defendants in the litigation.

The Settlements allow members of the Settlement Class who submit valid and timely claims to receive some compensation, rather than risk ultimately receiving nothing. Plaintiffs and Settlement Class Counsel believe the Settlements are in the best interests of all members of the Settlement Class.

If the Settlements are approved, Plaintiffs and the Settlement Class will dismiss and release their claims against Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University.

In the Court’s Preliminary Approval Order on February 28, 2024, the Court defined the Settlement Class as follows:

all U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have during the Class Period (a) enrolled in one or more of Defendants’ full-time undergraduate programs, (b) received at least some need-based financial aid from one or more Defendants, and (c) whose tuition, fees, room, or board to attend one or more of Defendants’ full-time undergraduate programs was not fully covered by the combination of any types of financial aid or merit aid (not including loans) in any undergraduate year.[1]  The Class Period is defined as follows:

a.         For Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, MIT, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn, Rice, Vanderbilt, Yale—from Fall Term 2003 through February 28, 2024.

b.         For Brown, Dartmouth, Emory—from Fall Term 2004 through February 28, 2024.

c.         For CalTech— Fall Term 2019 through February 28, 2024.

d.         For Johns Hopkins— Fall Term 2021 through February 28, 2024.

Excluded from the Class are:

a.         Any Officers[2] and/or Trustees of Defendants, or any current or former employees holding any of the following positions: Assistant or Associate Vice Presidents or Vice Provosts, Executive Directors, or Directors of Defendants’ Financial Aid and Admissions offices, or any Deans or Vice Deans, or any employees in Defendants’ in-house legal offices; and

b.         the Judge presiding over this action, his or her law clerks, spouse, and any person within the third degree of relationship living in the Judge’s household and the spouse of such a person.

If you are not sure whether you are part of the Settlement Class, contact the Claims Administrator at:

Call the toll-free number, 1-833-585-3338.

Write to: Financial Aid Antitrust Settlements, c/o Claims Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Email: Info@FinancialAidAntitrustSettlement.com

Please contact the Claims Administrator with any questions instead of directing questions about the Settlements to your undergraduate institution or to the attorneys representing your undergraduate institution in this lawsuit.

 


[1] For the avoidance of doubt, the Class does not include those for whom the total cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room, and board for each undergraduate academic year, was covered by any form of financial aid or merit aid (not including loans) from one or more Defendants.

 

[2] For the avoidance of doubt, the Columbia University “Officers” excluded from the Class are members of the Senior Administration of Columbia University, and do not include exempt employees of Columbia University who are referred to as officers.

Settlement Benefits

Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University have agreed to provide, collectively, $284 million in cash for the benefit of the Settlement Class as part of a Settlement Fund.

Every member of the Settlement Class who (a) does not exclude him, her, or themselves from the Settlement Class by the deadline described below, and (b) files a valid and timely claim during a process that will occur later will be paid from the monies from the Settlement Fund. The money in this Settlement Fund will be also used to pay:

  • The cost of settlement administration and notice, and applicable taxes on the Settlement Fund, and any other related tax expenses, as approved by the Court,
  • Money awards for the Settlement Class Representatives for their service on behalf of the Settlement Class, as approved by the Court, and
  • Attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses for Settlement Class Counsel, as approved by the Court (see FAQ 19 below for more information relating to attorneys’ fees and other costs).

The money in this Settlement Fund less the three categories of costs described just above is the Net Settlement Fund. The Net Settlement Fund will only be distributed to members of the Settlement Class if the Court finally approves the Settlements and the plan for allocating the monies in the Settlement Fund to members of the Settlement Class.

If you are a member of the Settlement Class, you must submit a valid and timely claim to get money from the Settlement Fund during a process that will begin several months from now. If the Court finally approves the Settlements, as part of the Court approved distribution and allocation process, the Claims Administrator will distribute a Claim Form to complete to all Settlement Class members, who do not exclude themselves from the Settlement Class, and for which there are valid email or postal addresses. Members of the Settlement Class may also contact the Claims Administrator or visit the Settlement Website if they do not receive a Claim Form. The Claim Form will include the deadline for timely submission and instructions on how to submit the Claim Form. Those Settlement Class Members who submit Claim Forms are called Claimants. The Court will approve the plan of allocating the Net Settlement Fund amongst the Claimants, and will set the schedule for that process, at the time that it decides whether or not to approve the Settlements.

At this time, it is not known precisely how much each member of the Settlement Class will receive from the Net Settlement Fund or when payments will be made. The amount of your payment, if any, will be determined by the Plan of Allocation proposed by Plaintiffs and to be approved by the Court. The proposed Plan of Allocation can be summarized as follows:

First, the Claims Administrator would determine, for each Claimant, the number of years (or fractions thereof) that the Claimant paid a Defendant University for the cost of attendance during the Settlement Class Period. The Claims Administrator, on a Claimant-by-Claimant basis, would then assign to each Claimant the average annual Net Price charged by that University for each year the Claimant attended (or fraction thereof) based on publicly available aggregated pricing data. The Net Price shall be defined for these purposes as the average price for tuition, room, and board less the average amount of financial aid (not including loans). The Net Prices assigned for each Claimant would be adjusted for fractions of years, where a student may not have attended for an entire school year. The Claims Administrator would then sum the average Net Prices over all the years for each Claimant, up to a maximum of four full academic years per Claimant. That sum would be the numerator of each Claimant’s pro rata allocation computation.

Second, the Claims Administrator would add together all of the numerators for all Claimants, and that sum would serve as the denominator.

Third, the Claims Administrator would divide the numerator from the first step for each Claimant by the denominator from the second step. That fraction would be the pro rata share for each Claimant.

Fourth, and finally, to compute the total allocated sum for each Claimant, the Claims Administrator would multiply the fraction from the third step for each Claimant by the Net Settlement Fund, generating the dollar value of each Claimant’s total allocation from the Net Settlement Fund.

The Claims Administrator will make decisions regarding claim submissions, including regarding their validity and amounts, with input from Settlement Class Counsel and Settlement Class Counsel’s consulting economic expert.

The parties have agreed to ask the Court to be permitted to donate any funds that remain in the Net Settlement Fund after distribution to the Settlement Class to charitable causes that promote access to higher education for disadvantaged students and families.

The complete proposed Plan of Allocation is available on the Important Documents page.

How to File a Claim

On July 20, 2024, the Court issued an Order approving settlements with Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt, and Yale. If you are a member of the Settlement Class, you must submit a valid and timely claim to get money from the Settlement Fund. You can submit a claim online on the Submit Claim page. You will need the unique Claim ID and Confirmation Code located on your postcard and/or email notice to submit a Claim Form online. You can also download a printable copy of the Claim Form on the Important Documents page. Claim Forms must be postmarked or submitted online by December 17, 2024.

After receiving your timely-submitted Claim Form, the Court-appointed Claims Administrator, will make decisions about the value and validity of claims with input from Settlement Class Counsel and Settlement Class Counsel’s consulting economic expert.

For the Claimants, the Claims Administrator will use publicly available average annual price of tuition, fees, room, and board minus institutional grants (“Net Price”) charged by Defendants for each applicable academic year to estimate each Claimant’s Net Price, and thus (using the method set forth above) determine each Claimant’s pro rata share of the Net Settlement Fund.

Some companies may offer to help you file your Claim Form in exchange for a portion of your recovery from the Settlements. While you may choose to use such companies, you should know that you can file with the Claims Administrator on your own, free of charge. Additionally, you are entitled to contact the Claims Administrator or Settlement Class Counsel for assistance with understanding and filing your Claim Form—again, at no cost to you.

If you are a member of the Settlement Class and do not exclude yourself, you cannot sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit seeking recovery for the Released Claims against Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University or Releasees (defined below), even if you do not file a Claim Form. More specifically, staying in the Settlement Class means you have agreed to be bound by the Settlement Agreements and their terms including the release of claims contained therein. The Settlement Agreements are available on the Important Documents page. The claims released in the Settlements are described below.

Specifically, the Settlement Agreements provide that the Releasees shall be completely released, acquitted, and forever discharged from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, causes of action, damages, and liabilities, of any nature whatsoever, including costs, expenses, penalties and attorneys’ fees, known or unknown, accrued or unaccrued, contingent or absolute, suspected or unsuspected, in law equity, or otherwise, that Plaintiffs ever had, now have, or hereafter can, shall or may have, directly, representatively, derivatively, as assignees or in any other capacity, to the extent alleged in the Complaint or to the extent arising out of or relating to a common nucleus of operative facts with those alleged in the Complaint that Plaintiffs have asserted or could have asserted in the Action. For avoidance of doubt, claims between Class Members and the Defendant Universities arising in the ordinary course and not relating to, arising from, or sharing a common nucleus of operative facts with, the facts alleged in the Complaint (including amendments), will not be released. The claims described as being released in this paragraph are referred to herein as the “Released Claims.”

In addition, each Releasor (defined below) hereby expressly waives and releases, upon the Effective Date, any and all provisions, rights, and/or benefits conferred by Section 1542 of the California Civil Code, which reads:

Section 1542. Release. A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party; or by any law of any state or territory of the United States, or principle of common law, which is similar, comparable, or equivalent to Section 1542 of the California Civil Code, notwithstanding that the release in Paragraph 13 of each of the Settlement Agreements is not a general release and is of claims against Releasees only. Each Releasor may hereafter discover facts other than or different from those which he, she, or it knows or believes to be true with respect to the claims that are the subject matter of Paragraph 13. Nonetheless, upon the Effective Date (defined below), each Releasor hereby expressly waives and fully, finally, and forever settles and releases any known or unknown, foreseen, or unforeseen, suspected or unsuspected, contingent or non-contingent claim that is the subject matter of Paragraph 13, whether or not concealed or hidden, without regard to the subsequent discovery or existence of such different or additional facts. Each Releasor also hereby expressly waives and fully, finally, and forever settles, releases, and discharges any and all claims it may have against the Releasees under § 17200, et seq., of the California Business and Professions Code or any similar comparable or equivalent provision of the law of any other state or territory of the United States or other jurisdiction, which claims are expressly incorporated into the definition of the Released Claims.

“Effective Date” means the date on which all of the following have occurred: (i) the Settlement is not terminated pursuant to Paragraphs 15 or 16 of each of the Settlement Agreements; (ii) the Settlement is approved by the Court as required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(e); (iii) the Court enters a final approval order; and (iv) the period to appeal the final approval order has expired and/or all appeals have been finally resolved.

“Releasees” means the Settling Universities, the Boards of Trustees of the Settling Universities, individually and collectively, and all of their present, future and former parent, subsidiary and affiliated corporations and entities, the predecessors and successors in interest of any of them, and each of the foregoing’s respective present, former and future officers, directors, trustees, affiliates, employees, administrators, faculty members, students, agents, advisors, representatives, volunteers, attorneys, outside counsel, predecessors, successors, heirs, devisees, executors, conservators, and assigns.

“Releasors” means all Plaintiffs and Settlement Class Members, and those Plaintiffs’ and Settlement Class Members’ agents, attorneys, representatives (and as applicable each of their past, present, and future agents, attorneys, representatives, and all persons or entities that made payments to the Universities or other Defendants on behalf of Plaintiffs and Settlement Class Members), the predecessors, successors, heirs, executors, administrators, and representatives of each of the foregoing.

The Scope and Effect of the Release: Upon the occurrence of the Effective Date, the Releasors hereby release and forever discharge, and covenant not to sue the Releasees only, with respect to, in connection with, or relating to any and all of the Released Claims.

If you are a member of the Settlement Class, do not want to remain in the Settlement Class, and do not want a payment from the Settlements, then you must take steps to exclude yourself from the Settlements. This is sometimes referred to as “opting out” of a class. The Court will exclude from the Settlements all members of the Settlement Class who submit valid and timely requests for exclusion.

If you exclude yourself, you will not be able to receive any payments from these Settlements. However, this is the only way you will retain your rights to sue Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University and the Releasees on your own based on the Released Claims.

You can exclude yourself by sending a written “Request for Exclusion” to the Claims Administrator. To be valid, your Request for Exclusion must be received by the Claims Administrator no later than May 13, 2024 to:

Claims Administrator
Financial Aid Antitrust Settlements
Attn: Exclusion Request
P.O. Box 58220
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Your Request for Exclusion must: (i) be in writing by mail (you cannot exclude yourself by telephone or email); (ii) be signed by the person or entity holding the claim or by his, her or its authorized representative; (iii) state the full name, address, and phone number of the University(ies) you attended; (iv) include proof of membership in the Settlement Class; and (vi) include a signed statement that “I/we hereby request I/we be excluded from the Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt and Yale Settlements in Henry, et al. v. Brown University, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00125.”

No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up any right to sue Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University and the Releasees for the Released Claims if you qualify for membership in the Settlement Class. If you decide to exclude yourself, your decision will apply only to Brown University, the University of Chicago, the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, Trustees of Dartmouth College, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, William Marsh Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University, and the other Releasees.

No. You will not get any money from the Settlements if you exclude yourself.

No. If you exclude yourself, you are no longer a member of the Settlement Class and may not object to any aspect of the Settlements.

Objecting to the Settlement

If you are a member of the Settlement Class (and don’t exclude yourself from that class), you can object to any part or any one of the Settlements, the summary of the Plan of Allocation, and/or the request for attorneys’ fees and litigation costs and expenses and/or the service awards request.

To object, you must timely submit a letter that includes the following: (1) the name of the case (Henry, et al. v. Brown University, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00125); (2) your name and address and if represented by counsel, the name, address, and telephone number of your counsel; (3) proof that you are a member of the Settlement Class; (4) a statement detailing your objections to the Settlements with specificity and including your legal and factual bases for each objection; and (5) a statement of whether you intend to appear at the Fairness Hearing, either with or without counsel, and if with counsel, the name of your counsel who will attend. 

You cannot make an objection by telephone or email. You must do so in writing and file your objection with the Clerk of Court and mail your objection to the following address postmarked by May 13, 2024.

Court
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Clerk of Court
219 S. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604

You must also send a copy of your Statement of Objections to the Claims Administrator at the following address:

Claims Administrator
Financial Aid Antitrust Settlements
Attn: Objections
P.O. Box 58220
Philadelphia, PA 19102

If you don’t timely and validly submit your objection, your view will not be considered by the Court or any court on appeal.

Objecting is simply telling the Court that you don’t like something about the Settlements. You can object to the Settlements only if you don’t exclude yourself from the Settlement Class. Objecting does not change your ability to claim money from the Net Settlement Fund if the Court approves the Settlements. If you exclude yourself, you cannot object because the Settlements no longer affects your rights, and you cannot claim money from the Net Settlement Fund.

The Lawyers Representing You

The Court has appointed the lawyers listed below to represent you. These lawyers are called Settlement Class Counsel. Other lawyers have also worked with Settlement Class Counsel to represent you in this case. Because you are a Settlement Class member, you do not have to pay any of these lawyers. They will be paid from the Settlement Fund upon making an application to the Court.

Edward J. Normand
Freedman Normand Friedland LLP
99 Park Avenue, Suite 1910
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 1-646-970-7513
Email: tnormand@fnf.law

Robert D. Gilbert
Gilbert Litigators & Counselors, P.C.
11 Broadway, Suite 615
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 1-646-448-5269
Email: rgilbert@gilbertlitigators.com

Eric L. Cramer
Berger Montague PC
1818 Market Street, Suite 3600
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: 1-215-875-3000
Email: ecramer@bm.net

If you have any questions about the Notice or the Action, you can contact the above-listed Settlement Class Counsel.

You do not have to hire your own lawyer. But you can if you want to, at your own cost.

If you hire your own lawyer to appear in this case, you must tell the Court and send a copy of your Notice to Settlement Class Counsel at any of the addresses listed in FAQ 18 above.

To date, Settlement Class Counsel have not been paid any attorneys’ fees or reimbursed for any out-of-pocket costs or expenses that Settlement Class Counsel expended to litigate this case. Any attorneys’ fees and costs and expenses will be awarded only as approved by the Court in amounts determined to be fair and reasonable. By April 29, 2024, Settlement Class Counsel will move for an award of attorneys’ fees not to exceed 1/3 of the Settlement Fund, plus any accrued interest, reimbursement of litigation costs and expenses not to exceed $12,000,000 and service awards of up to $20,000 for each of the eight Settlement Class Representatives to be paid out of the Settlement Fund. If the Court grants Settlement Class Counsel’s requests, these amounts would be deducted from the Settlement Fund. You will not have to pay these fees, expenses, and costs out of your own pocket.

Any motions in support of the above requests will be available on the Settlement Website after they are filed by April 29, 2024. After that time, if you wish to review the motion papers, you may do so by viewing them on the Important Documents page.

The Court will consider the motion for attorneys’ fees and litigation costs and expenses, service awards at or after the Fairness Hearing.

The Court's Fairness Hearing

There will be a Fairness Hearing held telephonically on Friday, July 19, 2024 at 1:00 pm CT using call-in number 1-888-684-8852, access code 746-1053.

Important! The time and date of the Fairness Hearing may change without additional mailed or published notice. For updated information on the hearing, visit www.FinancialAidAntitrustSettlement.com.

At the Fairness Hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlements are fair, adequate, and reasonable and should be approved. The Court will also decide whether it should give its final approval of the Plaintiffs’ requests for attorneys’ fees and expenses, service awards to the Settlement Class Representatives, and other costs. The Court will consider any objections and listen to members of the Settlement Class who have asked to speak at the Fairness Hearing.

No. You do not have to go to the Fairness Hearing, even if you sent the Court an objection. But you can go to the hearing or hire a lawyer to go to the Fairness Hearing if you want to, at your own expense.

You must file a Notice of Intention to Appear with the Court at this address:

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Clerk of Court
219 S. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604

Your Notice of Intention to Appear must be filed by May 13, 2024. You must also mail a copy of your letter to Settlement Class Counsel at the addresses listed in the answer to FAQ 18. Your Notice of Intention to Appear must be signed and: (i) state the name, address, and phone number of the University you attended and if applicable, the name, address, and telephone number of your attorney (who must file a Notice of Appearance with the Court); and (ii) state that you (or if applicable, your lawyer) intends to appear at the Fairness Hearing for the Settlements in Henry, et al. v. Brown University, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00125.

If You Do Nothing

If you do nothing, and if you fit the Settlement Class description, you will automatically be a member of the Settlement Class. However, if you do not timely file a Claim Form at the appropriate time later in the process, you will not receive any payment from the Settlements. You will be bound by past and future rulings, including rulings on the Settlements, Released Claims, and Releasees.

Getting More Information

The Notice summarizes the Action, the terms of the Settlements, and your rights and options in connection with the Settlements. More details are in the Settlement Agreements, which are available for your review on the Important Documents page. The Important Documents page also has the Second Amended Complaint and other documents relating to the Settlements. You may also call toll-free 1-833-585-3338 or write the Claims Administrator at: Financial Aid Antitrust Settlements, c/o Claims Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103 or by email at: Info@FinancialAidAntitrustSettlement.com