Montgomery, AL – A judge's ruling means all 42,000 participants remaining in Alabama's prepaid college tuition plan will be affected by the outcome of a lawsuit seeking to make sure tuition is paid by the financially precarious program.
Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick ruled that the suit will become class-action litigation covering all participants because they face similar legal issues with the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition plan.
A lawyer representing some of the parents who filed the suit, Doyle Fuller, said Monday that all PACT participants will get a global resolution defining their rights and the obligations of the state.
The attorney for the PACT board, George Beck, said granting class-action status doesn't mean the judge is going to rule for or against one side. That will only be determined after more court proceedings.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)