Case Explained: Ascent Classical Academies v. Ascent Classical Academy Charter Schools, et al.

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-22 Docket: 1:24-CV-00653-GPG-STV) The Tenth Circuit reversed the district court’s dismissal of Ascent Classical Academies’ trademark infringement claims and remanded the case for further proceedings. The court held that the Management Contracts between the parties were ambiguous regarding the scope of the charter schools’ right to use the “Ascent Classical Academy” names after the termination of their business relationship. The court applied Colorado contract law, which dictates that a contract is ambiguous if it is susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation and that such ambiguity cannot be resolved as a matter of law at the motion to dismiss stage. The court found two reasonable interpretations of Section III(R) of the contracts: one allowing the schools to use the names in their entirety, and another permitting permutations or alterations of those names. Because the contract did not unambiguously grant the schools an unlimited right to use permutations of the names, Ascent retained a protectable legal interest in its trademarks sufficient to state a plausible claim for relief under the *Twombly/Iqbal* standard. Consequently, the case proceeds to trial where extrinsic evidence may be considered to resolve the ambiguity. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.