The cy pres (“as near as”) doctrine is used by courts to distribute unclaimed funds from class-action lawsuits to public interest organizations whose work relates to the issues litigated and furthers the interests of the class.
Cy pres awards would support Restore The Fourth’s advocacy for stronger consumer privacy protections, digital rights campaigns, and Fourth Amendment civil liberties education and amicus litigation.
If you have questions about whether Restore The Fourth might be appropriate for cy pres in a particular case, please contact Stephen Perez (stephen@restorethe4th.com) or Alex Marthews (rt4chair@protonmail.com) or call (617) 208-9002.
For more information, please consult Restore The Fourth’s general summary on eligibility, mission, programs, and intended use of funds below:
Up to date financial documentation and reports can be found under the “Finances” section.
How Restore The Fourth Uses Cy Pres Funds:
- Provide expert testimony to lawmakers at the state level (e.g., testimony to the Boston City Council on Flock Safety installations and the MA Consumer Data Privacy Act).
- Submit comments and letters to federal agencies and lawmakers urging them to support privacy reforms and reject heightened surveillance in contravention of the Fourth Amendment.
- File amicus or “friend of the court” briefs in key Fourth Amendment cases to ensure Fourth Amendment jurisprudence is updated to protect Americans from a growing and ubiquitous digital surveillance apparatus.
- Build constituent-side campaigns that connect citizens with their lawmakers to facilitate grassroots pressure for strong consumer privacy legislation.
- Develop educational materials on privacy, surveillance, and Fourth Amendment related issues, including issue briefs, news letters, op-eds, and technical analyses.
- Write and distribute communications and briefings for Hill staffers to help inform lawmakers about the best approach to privacy-enhancing legislation.
- Establishing new state and local level chapters of RT4 volunteers to build grassroots infrastructure for enacting surveillance oversight ordinances and police technology guardrails.