| Matter of French-American Aid for Children, Inc. (Klebe) |
| 2017 NY Slip Op 05324 [151 AD3d 662] |
| June 29, 2017 |
| Appellate Division, First Department |
| Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
| In the Matter of French-American Aid for Children, Inc., et al., Respondents. Joerg Klebe, Appellant; Eric T. Schneiderman, Attorney General, Respondent. |
John A. Barone, Bronx, for appellant.
Greenfield Stein & Senior, LLP, New York (Gary B. Freidman of counsel), for French-American Aid for Children, Inc., respondent.
Eric T. Schneiderman, Attorney General, New York (Seth M. Rokosky of counsel), for Attorney General, respondent.
Decree, Surrogate's Court, New York County (Rita Mella, S.), entered June 9, 2016, inter alia, adjudging that petitioner's revocation of a trust of which objectant is a trustee was valid, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Objectant's contention that petitioner did not properly revoke the trust because it used Estates, Powers and Trusts Law § 7-1.9 (a) instead of section 8-1.1 (c) (2) is unavailing. Before 1985, cases held that a charitable trust could use the predecessor of EPTL 7-1.9 (a) (see e.g. Hanover Bank v United Brethren's Church on Staten Is., 134 NYS2d 356, 361-362 [Sup Ct, NY County 1954]). In 1985, EPTL 7-1.9 was amended to add paragraph (c), which provided that "[a] trust wholly benefitting one or more charitable beneficiaries may be terminated as provided for by" EPTL 8-1.1 (c) (2) (emphasis added). Nothing in either the text of EPTL 7-1.9 (c) or the legislative history thereof indicates that charitable trusts were restricted to EPTL 8-1.1 (c) (2) after 1985 (see generally Allstate Ins. Co. v Belt Parkway Imaging, P.C., 78 AD3d 592 [1st Dept 2010]). Moreover, post-amendment cases indicate that charitable trusts may still use EPTL 7-1.9 (a) (see e.g. Board of Trustees of Museum of Am. Indian, Heye Found. v Board of Trustees of Huntington Free Lib. & Reading Room, 197 AD2d 64, 85-86 [1st Dept 1994], lv denied 86 NY2d 702 [1995]; Matter of Forester, NYLJ, Dec. 3, 2001 at 17, col 3 [Sur Ct, NY County 2001]). Concur—Sweeny, J.P., Renwick, Andrias, Kapnick and Kahn, JJ.