The Honourable Edward M. Morgan of the Superior Court of Justice recently approved the settlement of a securities class action lawsuit, and in doing so, approved an award of $90,000 to the Class Action Clinic at Windsor Law in left-over or ‘cy près’ funds.
In his decision, Justice Morgan wrote: “The Clinic provides research support for class actions, works on law reform initiatives in the field, and serves a valuable educational role for law students. It is a worthy cause and an appropriate recipient of a cy près award.”
Clinic director and Windsor Law professor Jasminka Kalajdzic says the Clinic will use the funds to assist class members with settlement claims and to provide other legal advice, as well as to research ways to improve the dissemination of settlement notices.
“I am really grateful for another judicial endorsement of the Clinic’s mission,” says Professor Kalajdzic, referencing the decision of Justice Edward Belobaba in MacDonald et al v. BMO Trust Company et al which resulted in the Clinic being awarded $250,000 in cy près funds earlier this year.
“Windsor Law’s Class Action Clinic, the first of its kind in North America, exemplifies Windsor Law’s justice-seeking, community-engaged and people-centred ethos,” adds Law Dean Reem Bahdi. “The cy près funds represent the highest endorsement of the research, teaching and service undertaken at the Clinic under Professor Kalajdzic’s extraordinary leadership.”
To learn more about the Class Action Clinic, visit its website.