
About the ORS
The Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) is a non-profit organization focused on orthopaedics and musculoskeletal care. For almost 70 years, the Society’s basic, translational, and scientific research has been used to treat patients with musculoskeletal disorders to ultimately enhance their quality and equity of care. [Learn more]
About the Cy Pres Grant
The ORS was recently the recipient of a cy pres grant. Cy pres is a legal doctrine that permits a court to award unclaimed or undeliverable funds from a class action settlement to nonprofit organizations that advance the interests of the class and the subject matter of the lawsuit.
Unclaimed funds for this cy pres grant were from the lawsuit Yamagata v. Reckitt Benckiser LLC. The case involved alleged false advertising for a product claiming to relieve joint pain and symptoms of osteoarthritis. The case resulted in a $50 million settlement and over 300,000 class members submitted claims for cash payments. ORS has received a $1.9 million grant from the unclaimed funds. The ORS is grateful for this grant and has big plans on how to best use the funds for the benefit of the entire orthopaedic community. These plans are outlined below.
Huge thanks go out to past ORS president and member Farshid Guilak, PhD who is Mildred B. Simon Research Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. It was Dr. Guilak who put forward ORS as the potential recipient of this generous grant. Thanks also go out to Yamagata legal counselors, Tim Blood and Tommy O’Reardon, who officially nominated ORS as a recipient of the grant. The ORS will do everything possible to fulfill the expectation that “use of these funds will allow the organization to continue its outstanding work in the field of orthopaedics.”
What will the ORS do with Funds from the Grant?
The ORS will use the grant to reinforce the three key pillars of its transformational initiatives involving: research advocacy outreach; policies of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); and a new, robust digital platform for resources, education, and networking. The three pillars have been approved by the ORS Board of Directors with the expectation that they will help the ORS to advance orthopaedic research to improve musculoskeletal health and increase NIH funding. Each pillar will be guided by a task force which will be made up of a team of board members, council members, committee members, ORS staff, and volunteers.
Timeline
Task forces are currently being assembled for each of the pillars. In September 2023, each task force began discussions on scheduling and planning to address all necessary action items. Additional information on the board-approved implementation plans will be available within the next few weeks.
For more information about the Cy Pres Grant, contact ORS CEO Sharon Smith Terry at [email protected].