Cy Pres Awards

What is Cy Pres?

Courts use the doctrine of cy pres to award unclaimed or impractical-to-distribute funds from class action settlements to appropriate charitable organizations as the “next best” way to advance the core interests of the underlying class members. 

Support the ITRC with Cy Pres Awards

As the leading voice for U.S. identity crime victims since 1999, the ITRC accepts cy pres¹ awards to further the mission to empower and guide consumers, victims, businesses and governments to minimize risk and mitigate the impact of identity compromise and crime. The ITRC’s services for consumers are always provided free of charge.

The list below shows the history of the ITRC receiving cy pres awards after judicial review² and in consideration of the expertise the ITRC brings to bear in supporting identity crime victims and preventing victimization through research and education.

To discuss how the ITRC may be an appropriate cy pres beneficiary, email [email protected] for more information.

ITRC Cy Pres Awards

• March 2012 – $58,204.22, Fidelity Information/Certegy Check
• November  2012 –   $345,611.49, Syran/LexisNexis
• June 2013 – $69,109.00, Classmates.com
• October 2014 – $55,108.55, Southwest Airlines
• July 2016 – $765,937.58, LifeLock Inc.
• May 2017 – $55,0000.00, Sony Electronics Inc.
• September 2017 – $971,169.25, Home Depot
• December 2018 – $250,000.00, Dwayne Morris LLP
• March 2022 – $20,977.96, Golden Valley Health Fund
• November 2023 – $468,000, Drizzley LLC

¹ Courts use the doctrine of “cy pres”  – a French term that translates to “as near as possible” – to award unclaimed funds from class action lawsuit settlements to charitable organizations as a way to meet the original goals of the Court’s order.

² The National Association of Consumer Advocates Standards and Guidelines for Litigating and Settling Consumer Class Actions (4th Ed. 2023) in Guideline Six sets forth processes and considerations that have been endorsed by federal courts as the best way to ensure the distribution of monetary damages through “cy pres” settlement provisions adhere to the highest possible standards of advocacy and ethical conduct.