A sorority accused of charging University of Washington students for housing they couldn't stay in during the early days of the pandemic has agreed to pay more than $250,000 in refunds, according to a consent decree announced Wednesday by the Washington state Attorney General's Office.

Early last year, Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office sued Tennessee-based Alpha Omicron Pi, or AOII, accusing the sorority of violating emergency regulations by charging UW members housing fees even as students couldn't stay in the sorority's Greek Row house because of the pandemic.

"This sorority took advantage of students, charging them thousands of dollars for housing they could not access or use," Ferguson said in a statement.

AOII continues to deny wrongdoing in the consent decree. A lawyer for the organization did not immediately provide comment Wednesday.

Sorority members agreed to pay for housing and meals in early 2020, according to the state's lawsuit. When the pandemic hit, the sorority "drastically reduced" the number of students who could live in the house. The sorority later gave members the option of closing the house entirely, which they voted to do, but still charged them fees, the state alleged.

After warnings that their unpaid fees could end up in collections, sorority members said they felt intense pressure to pay for fear of hurting their credit. AOII charged at least 68 students for the 2020-2021 school year, typically $6,250 each plus late fees for some, according to the state.

Washington's coronavirus regulations prohibited rent charges when tenants couldn't access their housing. Ferguson also accused the sorority of violating the state Consumer Protection Act.

In court filings, the sorority disputed the state's description of events and said students made "false and misleading" statements. AOII said students "voluntarily moved out" in early 2020 and later "elected to close the sorority house." The sorority claimed it "had every right to charge the fees ... on account of validly entered contracts."

The state accused the sorority of trying to "remake this case into an eviction action or contract dispute," when it was in fact a "straightforward case to enforce the Governor's emergency COVID orders."

Under the consent decree, AOII will waive or reimburse most of fees charged to each member.  AOII will pay a total of $253,600 for reimbursements. When including both reimbursements and waived fees, the agreement amounts to about $500,000, according to the attorney general's office.

The Attorney General's Office will contact students about reimbursements. Sorority members can also contact the office at AOIISettlement@atg.wa.gov.