French International School v. Chazelle

Outcome: Judgment for the Defendants

Description: In this case, the French International School sued several of its teachers claiming entitlement to repayment of certain tuition subsidies paid by the French Government called Majorations. I represented the group of teachers. The teachers defended the case on grounds that neither French law, nor U.S. law required repayment of these benefits. The School argued that not only was the tuition subsidy due to be returned, but also that the Defendants had waived their right to contest the case because of their presumed failure to file a grievance under the the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement between the school and its teachers. At trial, the Court found that the School did not prove its case for entitlement to repayment of the Majorations and entered judgment for the Defendant teachers without the teachers having to present a defense. The case was complicated due to there being multiple defendants, French law and the translation of French language documents, and issues concering the applicability of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.