Cy Pres Awards

Cy pres awards allow unclaimed settlement funds from class-action lawsuits to be distributed to organizations that are most likely to benefit or pursue the interests of the class.

• As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit children’s advocacy organization, the National Center for Youth Law is automatically eligible to receive cy pres funding in California State Court class action suits under the California Code of Civil Procedure Section 384(b).
• More generally, regardless of the subject of the litigation, as an organization that works on all issues impacting marginalized children and youth, the National Center for Youth Law is almost always eligible to receive cy pres awards.

Cy pres awards are particularly beneficial to our ability to advocate for public policies and pursue impact litigation aimed at improving the systems impacting the lives of children and youth, efforts that require significant resources and can take years to resolve. Substantive areas in which we work include:

• Ending the unconstitutional detention and protecting the due process rights of children in federal immigration custody;
• Ensuring all youth who are in foster care, homeless, and involved in the youth justice system receive the educational opportunities they need;
• Protecting the civil rights of marginalized students and ensuring schools are safe, empowering places for all children;
• Ending the criminalization of survivors of child sex trafficking and ensuring they get the services they need to heal and lead healthy, productive lives;
• Empowering youth in foster care to make decisions about their bodies and futures by ensuring access to reproductive health care;
• Ensuring youth in foster care receive effective mental health services rather than harmful and unnecessary psychotropic medications; and
• Ending the incarceration of youth as adults, reducing the number of children involved in the youth justice system, and eliminating juvenile fines and fees.

The National Center for Youth Law would like to acknowledge recent cy pres awards that have enabled our organization to continue transforming systems – classrooms, courts, the justice system, and health care spaces – to extend equity, dignity and care for children and youth.

• As a result of Butler v. Apple, The National Center for Youth Law received a $1,759,900 cy pres award, with the following firms involved in making this possible: Keller Grover LLP, Morrison & Foerster LLP, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, and the Law Offices of Scot D. Bernstein.
• Through Washington v. ESA Management, The National Center for Youth Law received a $737,478.68, with Littler Mendelson and Setareh Law Group selecting our organization for this award. 

The National Center for Youth Law extends our appreciation to all the firms involved for their commitment to advancing justice for children and youth through these awards.

For more information on our work, or to nominate the National Center for Youth Law for a cy pres award, please contact Haley Reimbold at hreimbold@youthlaw.org.