The One-Hour Challenge.
Cy Pres
Cy pres is an old French term conveying "as close as possible," or, sometimes, "next best use." When funds are leftover from a class action settlement pool, those funds can be designated by the court as cy pres awards, and are available for distribution to groups whose mission reflects the purposes of the original class action. In practice, the doctrine allows courts to distribute leftover funds to educational, charitable, and other public service organizations. Legal services organizations are frequent recipients of cy pres awards. Some states even have statutes or rules mandating that a percentage of all cy pres awards go to legal aid organizations.
THE CAMPAIGN for Legal Services is an excellent beneficiary for these funds. Our systematic giving ensures we cover every demographic in our community. There is likely among our beneficiaries a group that directly corresponds to the original class members.
If you are in a position to influence the distribution of cy pres funds, consider designating SVCLS as a recipient. For more information, please contact us.