Dismissal of Yale Art Student Results in Legal Drama
by
Joseph C. Maya on Apr. 24, 2017
Other Education Lawsuit & Dispute Lawsuit Lawsuit & Dispute Dispute Resolution
Summary: Blog post about a student who was dismissed from the Yale University School of Drama and then brought suit against the school.
If you have a question or concern about special education law, school administration, federal standards, or the overall rights of a student, please feel free to call the expert education law attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport today at (203) 221-3100 .
In the case of Day v. Yale University School of Drama, a university and dean moved to strike a student’s complaint. The student asserted causes of action for breach of contract and the duty of fair dealing, as well as violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practice Act, as well as negligence and emotional distress. The purpose of a motion to strike is to contest the legal sufficiency of the allegations of any complaint to state a claim upon which the court can grant relief.
The student was dismissed from the Yale University School of Drama for deficient performance. Thereafter, the student sued the school, the dean, and associate dean. The student asserted claims against all three for breach of contract and breach of the duty of fair dealing (counts one and two), against the drama school for violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) (count three), and against Yale’s associate dean for negligence, negligent misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract (counts four through seven). The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (act), by its own terms, applies to a broad spectrum of commercial activity. The operative provision of the act, states merely that no person shall engage in unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce. The court held that the student had alleged a legally sufficient CUTPA claim, because he pled more than a simple breach of contract, and his allegation that the drama school failed to disclose his deficiencies was accompanied by an allegation that the school had a duty to disclose his reasons for dismissal.
Yale’s motion to strike was denied as to the student’s claim against the Yale University School of Drama for violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA). Defendants' motion to strike was granted as to all other claims.
If you have a child with a disability and have questions about special education law, please contact Joseph C. Maya, Esq., at 203-221-3100, or at JMaya@mayalaw.com, to schedule a free consultation.
Source: Day v. Yale Univ. Sch. of Drama, 2000 Conn. Super. LEXIS 658 (Conn. Super. Ct. Mar. 7, 2000)