Early Decision lawsuit moves forward

A federal judge just ruled that the motion to dismiss is denied and the lawsuit against 32 colleges for colluding via Early Decision will go ahead to discovery stage. ED has long been unenforceable as it is not a legally binding contract although colleges, AOs, consultants, and counselors have misled and misinformed students and parents for a decade by using words like binding to characterize it. Worth monitoring how some colleges will edit and modify their ED wording for 2026/27 admissions cycle.

Full ruling document linked here:

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.287691/gov.uscourts.mad.287691.257.0.pdf