Democratic Socialists awarded $5.2M in inheritance dispute despite family's objections

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."

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The 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 decided Monday. 

The $5.2 million constituted the majority of Greenberg's wealth, with a separate account worth $1.3 million being transferred to his estate without dispute, per a legal filing.

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On Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, Democratic Socialists of America members marched in Washington, D.C., carrying signs that said, "SOCIALISM BEATS FASCISM," equating the incoming Trump administration to "fascism."  (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)

This cash comes at an opportune time for the organization.

Candidates affiliated with or backed by the Democratic Socialists of America have enjoyed a string of victories in recent months, beginning with Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor in 2025 and continuing with 2026 primary wins by candidates such as Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who bested establishment-backed opponents in New York’s congressional primaries. 

Socialist candidates have also won primary races in Philadelphia, the District of Columbia and Colorado. 

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Members of the Democratic Socialists of America gather outside of a Trump owned building during a May Day rally in New York City in 2019. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The victories, several of which came against Democratic incumbents, have expanded the Democratic Socialists of America's foothold in government and given the group greater influence over the party, particularly in heavily Democratic urban districts.

What the Democratic Socialists of America ultimately will use its newfound wealth to do has not been disclosed, but its past spending behavior may provide some clues.

The organization, for instance, regularly spends big on advertisements meant to convince people to vote for Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates. In an August 2024 blog post, one New York Democratic Socialists of America member floated paying for advertisements to support the organization’s recruitment efforts.

Tax documents filed by the Democratic Socialists of America in November 2025 show that the organization distributes cash to its local chapters and aligned groups while also spending big on community mobilization and messaging campaigns.

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These efforts appear to have borne some fruit. In early July, the Democratic Socialists of America announced that it had grown to 120,000 members, claiming that it had become the "largest socialist organization in United States history."

The Democratic Socialists of America and Hecht's attorneys did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.