Landlords who challenged the federal CDC eviction moratorium are in settlement discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice, after winning an appeal over the policy’s constitutional footing. The plaintiffs—part of a group of more than 1,500 property owners—argue that the moratorium violated the Fifth Amendment by unlawfully denying compensation. The reporting notes that the plaintiffs previously lost in the Court of Federal Claims in 2022, then prevailed on appeal and now seek restitution. Some owners have calculated potential recoveries reaching up to $1.5 billion, though the coverage emphasizes settlement discussions rather than a final outcome. The moratorium ran from September 2020 through July 2021 and ended after the Supreme Court held the CDC lacked authority to impose the ban without congressional authorization. The coverage also notes that state and local eviction restrictions persisted longer than the federal policy. Higher education relevance: rental instability can ripple into student housing security, access to enrollment for displaced learners, and the demand for institutional emergency assistance, especially among low-income and dependent students.