CY PRES DISTRIBUTIONS TO Legal Services of Central New York

Legal Services of Central New York welcomes Cy Pres, as well as court settlement awards. Cy Pres (French for “as close as possible”) awards allow unclaimed settlement funds from class-action suits to be distributed to organizations that are most likely to benefit or pursue the interests of the class. Court settlement awards come about when parties in a case agree that as part of the settlement one party will make a specified dollar contribution to a specific charity and the court approves the settlement.LSCNY is an appropriate recipient of both Cy Pres and court approved settlement funds. Cy Pres and Court Settlement awards will support the free legal assistance LSCNY provides for low-income individuals and families to help them secure or preserve the most fundamental necessities of life – shelter, food, income, and civil rights.  Awards can be unrestricted or designated to fund legal assistance for a particular population or a specific area of LSCNY’s work.

If you have any questions, require additional documents or information, or are interested in designating Legal Services of Central New York as a cy pres award recipient, please contact Wendy Rhodes, Director of Development & Communications at (315) 703-6545 or wrhodes@lscny.org

Population Served

Legal Services of Central New York serves people living at or below 200% of the federal poverty index.  We serve women, children, families, and elders, including:
  • Victims of consumer fraud
  • Families facing destitution
  • Individuals with disabilities
  • Homeless families
  • Low-wage workers
  • Immigrants and other new Americans
  • Youth who are imprisoned
  • People with HIV/AIDS or cancer
  • People who are discriminated against or otherwise have their civil rights violated

Service Area

Our primary service area includes a large area of New York State encompassing Broome County, Cayuga County, Chenango County, Cortland County, Delaware County, Herkimer County, Jefferson County, Lewis County, Madison County, Oneida County, Onondaga County, Otsego County, and Oswego County.  We also serve Tioga, Tompkins, and Saint Lawrence counties in some cases, and successfully argue class actions in New York State and Federal courts.

Representation and Advocacy

Cy pres awards to Legal Services of Central New York can be appropriate in almost all class actions because our individual representation and broadbased advocacy includes a wide array of civil legal matters:

  • Housing Conditions
  • Eviction Defense
  • Consumer Protection
  • Employment and Workers’ Rights
  • Public Benefits
  • Civil Rights
  • Healthcare Access
  • HIV/AIDS and Cancer
  • Mental Health
  • Racial Justice
  • Language Access
  • Rights of New Americans
  • Education
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Jail Conditions
  • Reentry
  • Economic Development
  • Community-wide issues such as childhood lead poisoning prevention

If you have any questions, require additional documents or information, or are interested in designating Legal Services of Central New York as a cy pres award recipient, please contact Wendy Rhodes, Director of Development & Communications at (315) 703-6545 or wrhodes@lscny.org