A Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas recently considered a request from the trustees of the Stephen Girard Trust, a charitable trust that created Girard College, to end the school’s residential and high school programs. Girard College was originally created through the detailed will of Stephen Girard to educate, house, clothe, and feed orphan boys. Over the years, the school has developed and changed away from Girard’s original intent for the school. The school now allows minority and female students. However, the Philadelphia court’s decision denied the trustees’ request to cut the requested programs due to how inconsistent the changes would be to the intent reflected in what the court described as “the most litigated will in history.”
See Katherine C. Pearson, The Latest Ruling on “The Most Litigated Will in History,” Elder Law Prof Blog, Aug. 28, 2014; Neil E. Hendershot, Philadelphia Court Upholds Stephen Girard’s Intentions, PA Elder, Estate & Fiduciary Law Blog, Aug. 27, 2014.
