Harvard Loses Bid to Recoup $15 Million in Legal Fees After Race-Based Admission Case

Harvard’s insurance company said it missed the deadline to formally report its legal claims.

A view of the campus of Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass., on July 8, 2020. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Harvard University’s secondary insurance provider has no obligation to cover $15 million of legal fees incurred in the school’s failed attempt to defend its use of racial preference in admissions, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

In 2014, amid the high-profile racial discrimination lawsuit brought by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), Harvard bought an excess insurance policy with Zurich American Insurance for legal fees exceeding $25 million. The policy had a $15 million limit and covered claims made between Nov. 1, 2014, and Nov. 1, 2015.