Class actions: judgments: residual funds.

Existing law declares that the policy of the State of California is to ensure that the unpaid cash residue and unclaimed or abandoned funds in class action litigation are distributed appropriately. Existing law prescribes the allocation of any unpaid cash residue or unclaimed or abandoned class member funds generally attributable to California residents, plus any accrued interest that has not otherwise been distributed. Specifically, existing law requires 25% of these funds to be transmitted to the State Treasury for deposit in the Trial Court Improvement and Modernization Fund; 25% to be transmitted to the State Treasury for deposit in the Equal Access Fund of the Judicial Branch; and the remaining 50% to be transmitted to other enumerated programs, such as nonprofit organizations and foundations providing civil legal services to the indigent. This bill would add nonprofit organizations or advocacy programs providing legal services to victims of sexual harassment, pay inequity, or race, ethnicity, or age discrimination to the enumerated programs described above.