In Supreme Court Class Action Case, Free Speech Hangs In The Balance

On April 30th, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Frank v. Gaos, a case in which CIR filed a supporting brief. The case challenges a well-known abuse of plaintiff class action settlements known as cy pres awards in which 100% of settlement awards are given to attorneys and third party charities. In an amicus brief, CIR’s urged the Supreme Court to review the case, arguing that cy pres awards violate the First Amendment by compelling plaintiffs to support third party charities without their consent.

Photo: “#21 :: 01/21/10 :: I program in my sleep.” by Rachel Johnson licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.