“Cy pres” awards are designated when there are residual funds in class action lawsuits, probate matters, and other court cases that cannot be distributed to the class members or beneficiaries. Courts solve this problem by making cy pres awards available to appropriate nonprofit charitable organizations. In California or Federal court, a nonprofit organization is deemed an appropriate recipient of cy pres funding if distribution to the organization would “benefit the class or similarly situated persons.” [Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 384(b).]
Public Law Center is a nonprofit that provides a wide range of legal services to low-income and vulnerable people, and as such is deemed by the California Legislature as appropriate recipients of cy pres awards.
Public Law Center’s substantive areas of law that would be particularly appropriate for a cy pres award are:
Affordable housing and homelessness prevention (ex. eviction defense, landlord/tenant issues, subsidized housing terminations, housing conditions, mobile home associations and enforcement of mobile home residency law, affordable housing advocacy, housing discrimination and disability rights, enforcement of California land use laws, mobile home title disputes)
Consumer protection (ex. predatory lending & home equity scams, debt collection, bankruptcy, consumer warranty and fraud claims, wage garnishment, creditor harassment, automobile financing issues, identity theft, foreclosure prevention, unfair and deceptive practices, elder abuse)
Legal problems related to health care (ex. Issues related to MediCal, MediCare, and Covered California, medical billing problems, health care coverage eligability, denial of health services)
Small business and nonprofit assistance (ex. business startup, nonprofit formation, corporate governance, insurance and minimizing liability)
Legal problems for families (ex. divorce, custody, child/spousal support, retraining orders)
Legal problems for veterans (ex. landlord-tenant disputes, benefits, discharge upgrades, expungement of criminal records)
Immigration (ex. deportation defense, U & T Visas, Adjustment of Status, SIJS, Naturalization)
Legal problems impacting individuals who are HIV+
Legal problems related to the federal tax system
Access to the justice system
If you have any questions or would like more information about our work or the cy pres process, please contact us. PLC staff will be happy to provide any support you need in making these requests.
For more information, please contact development@publiclawcenter.org
