You are here

What happens to bequest when church closes?

What happens to bequest when church closes?

What happens to bequest when church closes?

When Stanley Carpenter died in 1967, he left a farm in trust to provide income to family members and after their death to the First Presbyterian Church of Osceola, Arkansas, and the First Baptist Church of Osceola. The First Presbyterian Church existed from the mid-1800s until it dissolved in 2004, transferring all of its assets and property to Covenant Presbytery. The Baptist church claimed that it should receive the income from the trust and the bank trustee went to court to get a resolution of the issue. A trial court found that Carpenter’s intention was to benefit the two churches and since the Presbyterian church no longer existed it was appropriate to invoke the doctrine of cy pres to...

lock The full text of this article is available to paid subscribers only. Login or subscribe to read more

 

Sign-up for our weekly Q&A; get a free report on electioneering