Tim, the distinction is moot from the point of view of the poor bastard getting screwed in all this. Anyone with a shred of empathy can see that. It’s especially bad since these are explicitly young people, most of whom are not going to be economically well off, which is why they needed the scholarship so much in the first place!
I don’t think our mutual friends to whom this email was sent would agree that it’s ok to screw them with an enormous, unexpected bill because your contract was garbage and it would hurt the program’s budget to treat them fairly (in some crazy scenario you’re suggesting may be possible). I don’t know of any reason why the cases last year couldn’t be taken to court except that nobody tried or it wasn’t worth it. But you’re a lawyer so maybe you can answer that...
Tim, the distinction is moot from the point of view of the poor bastard getting screwed in all this. Anyone with a shred of empathy can see that. It’s especially bad since these are explicitly young people, most of whom are not going to be economically well off, which is why they needed the scholarship so much in the first place!
I don’t think our mutual friends to whom this email was sent would agree that it’s ok to screw them with an enormous, unexpected bill because your contract was garbage and it would hurt the program’s budget to treat them fairly (in some crazy scenario you’re suggesting may be possible). I don’t know of any reason why the cases last year couldn’t be taken to court except that nobody tried or it wasn’t worth it. But you’re a lawyer so maybe you can answer that...