Cy Pres Awards

Cy Pres is a doctrine that permits a court to award any unallocated, unclaimed, or undeliverable funds from a class action settlement or judgment to a non-profit organization. As a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, Travelers United is eligible to receive cy pres funding. These awards allow Travelers United to continue fighting for justice for travelers.

When some or all of the funds recovered in a class action cannot feasibly be distributed to class members, cy pres awards can be made to organizations like Travelers United. A nonprofit organization is deemed an appropriate recipient of cy pres funding if distribution to the organization would “benefit the class or similarly situated persons.” Because Travelers United provides a variety of services, almost every type and class of travel is impacted by our work.

The subjects that we work on that would be particularly appropriate for a cy pres award include:

  • Rental car disclosures of fees, tolls and parking;
  • Disclosure of hotel resort fees;
  • Access of disabled consumers to all methods of travel;
  • Truth in Advertising Claims related to travel;
  • Legal problems of travelers;
  • Compensation for lost luggage;
  • Encouraging travel throughout the United States;
  • Consumer protections for bus travelers;
  • Ability for families with young children to sit together on planes;
  • Full disclosure of all prices and fees related to cruise travel;
  • Criminal protection on cruise lines;
  • Denied boarding compensation;
  • 24 Hour Airline Ticket change rule;
  • Reducing wait times of airport security;
  • Americans entering US customs;
  • Tarmac delays;
  • Notification of flight changes; and
  • Display and notification of passengers about their rights in terms of lost luggage, overbooking, flight delays and tarmac delays.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our work or the cy pres process, please contact us. Thank you for your consideration.
For more information, please contact Lauren Wolfe at [email protected]