When a class-action settlement leaves money nobody claims, California doesn't hand it back to the defendant. It goes to nonprofits — through a doctrine called cy pres.
Nonprofits, advocacy groups, and their critics collide in court all the time. California's anti-SLAPP law is the early-exit motion that decides whether a speech-based lawsuit survives.
When you give to a charity "for" a specific purpose, that restriction has legal force. A nonprofit generally can't quietly redirect a restricted gift — and the Attorney General guards donor intent.
If you're a voting member of a nonprofit or mutual benefit corporation, you're not powerless. California gives members the right to see records, and sometimes to sue on the organization's behalf.
Being a nonprofit doesn't automatically make your property tax-free. California's welfare exemption is narrow — and the wrong use of a building can blow it.
Nonprofits get real latitude to use volunteers and unpaid interns — but cross a line and that "volunteer" becomes an employee owed back wages, penalties, and attorney fees.
When a "charity" or a slick fundraiser is pocketing donations, California's Attorney General is the watchdog — and new rules now reach the online platforms too.
A dissolving charity can't just cut checks to insiders. California treats charitable assets as held in trust — and the Attorney General has to sign off before they go anywhere.
California does shield unpaid nonprofit board members from many negligence claims — but only if the organization carries insurance, and the shield has holes big enough to matter.