In re Milton Hershey School and Hershey Trust Company, Trustee of Milton Hershey School Trust

Summary

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania held that the Milton Hershey School Alumni Association lacked standing to challenge the administration of the Milton Hershey School Trust. The court concluded that the Association had no special interest in enforcing the charitable trust because it was not named in the trust, had no decision-making authority, and its members were generally excluded from receiving trust benefits. The court reversed the Commonwealth Court's order sustaining the Association's standing and relinquished jurisdiction.

Holdings

1. The Alumni Association lacked standing because it did not have a substantial, direct, and immediate interest in the litigation and did not possess a special interest in enforcement of the charitable trust.
2. The Association's intensity of concern and prior relationship with the School did not substitute for a substantial, direct, and immediate legal interest.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the Milton Hershey School Alumni Association had standing to challenge the modification and rescission of agreements concerning administration of the Milton Hershey School Trust.
2. Whether the Association possessed a special interest sufficient to enforce the charitable trust despite not being named in the trust instrument, not being an intended beneficiary, and having no role in trust administration.

Disposition

reversed