Not a bonus payment to class members, and not a way for lawyers or defendants to keep leftover settlement money, cy pres distribution is a court-approved method for directing unclaimed or impractical-to-distribute class action funds to a nonprofit or program whose work closely relates to the interests of the class. The phrase comes from a doctrine meaning "as near as possible." In practice, when a settlement leaves money undistributed - because some class members cannot be found, individual payments would be too small, or checks go uncashed - the court may send those funds to an organization that indirectly benefits the affected group.

That choice matters because the recipient is supposed to reflect the purpose of the case. In an injury-related class action, a court may look for a group connected to safety, consumer protection, medical care, or research rather than an unrelated charity. Judges also examine whether the settlement first made reasonable efforts to pay class members directly.

For an injury claim, cy pres distribution usually comes up in large class actions, not ordinary single-plaintiff cases. It can affect whether a settlement is approved, whether class members believe the result is fair, and whether counsel faces objections over who receives leftover funds. Missouri does not have a special statewide cy pres statute that broadly controls all class action settlements, so the issue is generally handled under court oversight, settlement terms, and the rules governing class certification, settlement approval, and attorney's fees.