CritterBlog

Courts Throw Out Leona Helmsley’s Dying Wish

Hotel and Real Estate tycoon Leona Helmsley suffered the ignominy of a prison sentence for living by the same philosophy that Timothy Geithner has parlayed into the post of Treasury Secretary in Barack Obama’s Cabinet : “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes …” To add insult to injury, the billionaire, who died at age 87 in August 2007, had her bequest overturned by a court in February of this year. Her estimated $5 to $8 billion dollar fortune was left to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for “purposes related to the provision of care for dogs.”

The five controlling trustees, including her brother, two grandchildren, a lawyer and an adviser, went to court to challenge Mrs. Helmsley’s instructions. In February the court ruled that the Foundation’s charitable grants need not be restricted by the intentions of the deceased.

On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, the Foundation announced $136 million in grants. Most of the funds went to New York City hospitals and medical research, including $40 million to create a digestive diseases center at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, $25 million to create a Helmsley Center for Electrophysiology at Mount Sinai Hospital, and $10 million for the Helmsley Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, also at Mount Sinai.

A donation of $1 million was equally divided among 10 animal charities, including $100,000 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

No one would argue that the grants to hospital and medical research facilities is not welcome. But there is an abundance of worthy facilities and organizations that the Foundation could recognize with grants, in keeping with Mrs. Helmsley’s intentions. All over the United States, there are struggling county animal shelters, private animal sanctuaries and rescue groups that would be appropriate beneficiaries of Mrs. Helmsley’s largesse. If the trustees want to buy naming rights at a medical facility, how about making a significant donation to a veterinary college or clinic?

“Giving less than 1 percent of the allocation to dog-related organizations is a trifling amount and not consistent with Leona Helmsley’s expressed intention,” said Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). “We’ve been in touch with interested parties and hope for a constructive resolution.”

See Also:
Helmsley estate: $136M to charity, $1M to dogs [Associated Press; April 21, 2009]
Dogs Get Small Bite of Helmsley Grants [Wall Street Journal; April 22, 2009]