University Sued For Allegedly Planning To Let Socialist Org Cash In On Deceased Professor’s Retirement Fund

A leftist group facing financial struggles has been taken to court in New York over whether it has a claim to a deceased professor’s $4.7 million retirement fund.

The estate of late sociology professor New York University (NYU) professor David Greenberg sued NYU and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on Friday, saying NYU cannot proceed with plans to give funds to DSA, court records show. While the group, which is in part influenced by Marxist ideology, has claimed several Democrats in Congress as members and hosts more than 180 chapters around the country, it has faced financial and membership struggles in recent months.

The lawsuit alleges that NYU is trying to divert funds that Greenberg originally meant for New American Moment, “a now-defunct political organization” that primarily existed to protest the Vietnam War. Greenberg, who died in 2024 at 82, had once named New American Moment as a contingent beneficiary for his retirement, according to the lawsuit. The organization supposedly merged with DSA in 1982, though the lawsuit claims the merger did not follow legal processes and the DSA is not a legitimate successor.

Greenberg’s estate said he underwrote New American Moment due to “furtherance of his sincerely held political beliefs, which were closely aligned with the ideological principles and objectives” of the original group.