DSA wins $5.2M inheritance award as court resolves NYU professor's will dispute
A New York court awarded the Democratic Socialists of America $5.2 million from the retirement account of New York University sociology professor David Greenberg, closing a 15-month dispute over succession rights in his…
Key takeaways
- A New York court awarded the Democratic Socialists of America $5.2 million from NYU sociology professor David Greenberg's retirement account, resolving a 15-month estate dispute.
- Greenberg's will directed the account to the New American Movement or 'any successor thereof,' and the court recognized the DSA — formed in 1982 when the New American Movement merged with the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee — as that successor.
- The judge ruled in the DSA's favor on Monday, rejecting nephew Martin Hecht's arguments that the DSA lacked legal successor status and that NYU breached its fiduciary duty.
- The $5.2 million equals nearly a full year of the DSA's revenue, while a separate $1.3 million account passed to Greenberg's estate without dispute.
- The DSA reported 120,000 members in early July 2026, claiming to be the largest socialist organization in U.S. history.
A New York court awarded the Democratic Socialists of America $5.2 million from the retirement account of New York University sociology professor David Greenberg, closing a 15-month dispute over succession rights in his estate. The payout amounts to nearly a full year of revenue for the DSA, according to its tax filings. Greenberg's nephew challenged the transfer in a suit filed in April 2025; the judge sided with the organization Monday.
The succession argument
Greenberg, who died in July 2024, directed in his will that his NYU retirement account pass to the New American Movement, or "any successor thereof." His NYU obituary described him as a prominent figure in America's radical criminology movement, and he spent much of his life involved with left-wing causes. The New American Movement merged with the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee to form the DSA in 1982, according to contemporary coverage in left-wing media outlets.
Martin Hecht, Greenberg's nephew, argued the DSA never filed the paperwork required to claim legal successor status, and that NYU breached its fiduciary duty to Greenberg by failing to confirm his will reflected his actual intentions before he died. The presiding judge rejected those arguments and awarded the full $5.2 million. A separate account worth $1.3 million passed to Greenberg's estate without dispute.
The cash position
For an organization of the DSA's size, $5.2 million is a material addition. Tax documents filed in November 2025 show the group channels funds to local chapters and aligned groups while spending on community mobilization and advertising campaigns. The DSA regularly runs advertisements aimed at turning out support for its backed candidates; one New York DSA member floated expanding that model to recruitment advertising in an August 2024 blog post. How the organization plans to deploy the court-awarded funds has not been disclosed.
The DSA reported 120,000 members in early July 2026, claiming to be the largest socialist organization in United States history.
The electoral backdrop
The ruling arrives after a string of wins by DSA-affiliated candidates. Zohran Mamdani was elected New York City mayor in 2025. Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated establishment-backed incumbents in New York congressional primaries this year. DSA-backed candidates also won primary contests in Philadelphia, the District of Columbia and Colorado, several coming against sitting Democratic incumbents.
Neither the DSA nor Hecht's attorneys responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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