David F. Greenberg was an academic who lived modestly in a small, rent-controlled apartment in the West Village, a man who left a legacy of ideas rather than money. He earned a Ph.D. in physics before New York University hired him into its sociology department in 1973, even though he did not hold a degree in that field. He worked there for half a century, building a substantial body of scholarship and a reputation as a caring teacher and mentor. He was also building a retirement fund, which by the time he died two years ago at age 82 had grown to more than $6.6 million.
The professor, who was not married, had no children and left no will. He had listed his parents as beneficiaries, but they were already dead. He had also named a backup beneficiary, the New American Movement, or N.A.M., a 1970s socialist group that had disappeared. In 1982, N.A.M. merged into what is now the Democratic Socialists of America. D.S.A., whose membership has more than doubled to about 126,000 in the past two years, would stand to gain an enormous sum, since large donations are uncommon for the group, which relies mostly on dues. Its last public tax filing, from 2024, showed net assets of $4.7 million.
Ashik Siddique, a D.S.A. national co-chair, said the group had no qualms about accepting the funds. "The more the better," he said, "as long as it is meaningfully supporting the decisions that our members make together."
Before any money moved, one of the professor's nephews, Martin Hecht, acting as administrator of the estate, sued. He argued that the money was meant for N.A.M., which was "now defunct," and that the family, not the modern socialist group, should receive it. The dispute has played out in Manhattan federal court for nearly a year and a half, pitting ideological ties against family ones.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing