People v. Orange County Charitable Services

The state has a profound interest in protecting the public against the predatory practices of charitable solicitors which are the hallmark of this case. Nearly 30 years ago, the Legislature took note of the “fraud, deceit and imposition [worked] upon the people of the state” by such solicitors, observing that in many instances “where funds are solicited . , . for charitable purposes, [only] an insignificant amount, if any, of the money solicited and collected actually is received by any charity.” (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17510, subd. (a).) Finding then existing remedies inadequate, the Legislature declared its purpose in enacting new laws to “promote legitimate solicitations ... for charitable purposes and restrict harmful solicitation methods, thus the people of this state will not be misled into giving solicitors a substantial amount of money which may not in fact be used for charitable purposes.” (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17510, subd. (b).)

Here, the Attorney General sought to vindicate that declared public interest by filing the underlying lawsuit, naming more than 130 individual and business entities engaged in commercial fundraising and related charitable organizations.…