Cy Pres Award

Cy Pres is a legal doctrine that permits a court to award unallocated or unclaimed funds from a class action judgment to a non-profit organization. 

The Center for Elder Justice is an ideal choice for a Cy Pres Award and has been approved as a Cy Pres recipient in past class action litigation.

The central mission of the Center for Elder Justice is “Access and Justice for All,” which we achieve in part by educating students, caregivers, law enforcement personnel, and grassroot providers of elder services about the legal needs and challengers for Elder Americans.  A majority of the Center’s projects are focused on Elder Consumer Protection, allowing students real-world experiences and at the same time helping elders locally, throughout Florida, and across the United States.  We also collaborate with other academics in the United States and internationally.

We help elders access justice through work in consumer protection, housing, financial literacy, antitrust, guardianship, and data privacy. Our work is conducted nationally and thus we are eligible for Cy Pres Nominations in all state and federal courts. 

To support our mission please consider adding the Center for Elder Justice to your organization’s list of eligible Cy Pres recipients and please consider nominating the Center for your next award. Since the needs are always greater than the money available, we are glad to work with you to design a program that reflects the intention of the lawsuit and craft our work to benefit those represented in the litigation, and other persons like them.

By awarding the remaining funds to the Center for Elder Justice, courts ensure that the intended benefits of the settlement or judgment are preserved, even if direct distribution to class members is not possible. This ensures remaining funds are used for the public good.

For additional information please contact Professor Mark Bauer, Director of the Center for Elder Justice: [email protected] or 727-562-7861.  We are glad to offer our assistance in drafting related and necessary court documents.