Yes, there are currently unclaimed damages funds and assets in Spain, primarily consisting of judicial deposits (consignaciones judiciales) held in court accounts under the Ministry of Justice. These include dormant funds from civil proceedings, such as compensation awards, indemnifications, bail, fines, or debt guarantees, where beneficiaries have not claimed them within specified periods (typically 20 years, after which they may escheat to the State via the Treasury). As of March 2025, over €153,000 in such unclaimed judicial funds were reported across Spanish courts, with a risk of transfer to the public treasury if not claimed within one month of notification. Broader unclaimed assets encompass bank balances (over €32 million transferred to the State in 2021 alone after 20 years of inactivity), unclaimed inheritances (estimated at €100 million annually, often published in the BOE for heir notifications), and off-plan property deposits lost during the 2008 crisis, recoverable via Supreme Court rulings holding banks jointly liable. Total judicial consignation accounts exceed €4.8 billion as of 2020, with significant portions unclaimed due to beneficiary unawareness or administrative delays, leading to annual State gains of around €50 million from escheated inheritances.
Key URLs publishing or listing these unclaimed damages funds and assets:
Official BOE publications for unclaimed judicial deposits and consignations (searchable archive for notifications): https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/
Ministry of Justice electronic headquarters (procedures for reclaiming judicial funds and related queries): https://sede.mjusticia.gob.es/en/
Banco de España guide on unclaimed bank balances (escheat process after 20 years): https://clientebancario.bde.es/pcb/en/menu-horizontal/productosservici/cuentasdepositos/cuentascorriente/guia-textual/cancelacion/Saldos_en_presu_4c0ad1687bf4d51.html
Infobae article on €153,264 in unclaimed court deposits (March 2025, with claim process): https://www.infobae.com/espana/2025/03/25/mas-de-150000-euros-sin-dueno-en-las-cuentas-de-depositos-de-los-juzgados-espanoles-si-no-se-reclaman-en-un-mes-se-transferiran-al-tesoro-publico/
20 Minutos report on €662,551 in forgotten judicial funds (2023, with BOE claim deadline): https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5136113/0/el-estado-se-quedara-con-660-000-euros-que-llevan-decadas-olvidados-en-los-juzgados/
Sur in English on millions in abandoned bank accounts transferred annually: https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/abandoned-bank-accounts-spain-millions-unclaimed-euros-20231116200929-nt.html
Olive Press on €100 million in unclaimed estates (BOE heir searches): https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2022/01/01/got-any-family-who-died-in-spain-you-could-inherit-thousands-from-unclaimed-estates/
My Lawyer in Spain on unclaimed estates and properties (international recovery): https://www.mylawyerinspain.com/blog/unclaimed-assets-spain/
Clickiure on €4.8 billion in pending judicial consignation claims: https://clickiure.com/blog/uncategorized/cuentas-de-consignacion-judicial/
Hereditas Abogados on procedures for unclaimed inheritances (€50 million+ annually to State): https://hereditasabogados.com/procedimientos-herencias-no-reclamadas/
As COCOO’s legal expert, these represent opportunities to pursue tort victim compensation via formal claims to courts or notaries, potentially aggregating for collective actions under Spain’s emerging class action framework (Royal Decree-Law 5/2023). Recommend verifying via BOE searches for specific cases.