Law360: Mass. Students Say They Were Misled About Tennis Program
By Elaine Briseño Law360
(July 14, 2026, 2:36 PM EDT) –
A group of tennis players have accused Bentley University of luring them to play Division II tennis at the school with false assurances that the program was viable, only to later announce it would be terminated after the 2026 spring semester.
In a proposed class action complaint filed in Massachusetts state court Monday, three players alleged that even as the school was internally deliberating about ending the program, the tennis coach and other members of the athletic department were actively recruiting players and pressuring them to make early commitments. The students, who were only identified in the lawsuit as Jane and John Does, asked the court to compel the university to sunset the 65-year-old program over a three-year period so that all current tennis players can continue to play until they graduate.
“These plaintiffs and class members were recruited, enrolled at, and remained at Bentley based upon defendant’s repeated false representations that the tennis program was viable, supported, and would continue throughout each plaintiffs’ and class members’ four years of undergraduate study,” according to the complaint.