The Democratic Socialists of America just won $5.2 million in an inheritance dispute, according to a new legal filing, handing the organization a major financial boost as it seeks to expand its influence within the Democratic Party.The $5.2 million award is serious money for the Democratic Socialists of America, amounting to nearly an entire year of revenue for the organization, according to its tax filings.For a little over a year, the Democratic Socialists of America had been embroiled in a legal dispute over the will of New York University professor David Greenberg, who died in July 2024.Greenberg stipulated in his will that the contents of his New York University retirement account should be transferred to the New American Movement, a now-defunct left-wing activist group, or "any successor thereof" upon his death.The New American Movement merged with the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee to form the Democratic Socialists of America in 1982, according to contemporary coverage in left-wing media outlets.
Greenberg, a sociology professor, spent much of his life involved with left-wing movements, with his NYU obituary describing him as "a prominent figure in America's radical criminology movement."BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONSThe Democratic Socialists of America just won $5.2 million in an inheritance dispute, according to a new legal filing. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)Martin Hecht, Greenberg's nephew, contended that the Democratic Socialists of America failed to file the proper paperwork to be considered the legal successor and that New York University failed to fulfill its fiduciary duty to Greenberg by not making sure his will accurately reflected his wishes before his death. The judge presiding over the case ultimately sided with the Democratic Socialists of America, handing it the multimillion-dollar sum.Hecht initiated his lawsuit in April 2025 and the case was ultimately deci...