Law Commons^™

The Times They Are Not A-Changin': Reforming The Charitable Split-Interest Rules (Again), Wendy C. Gerzog

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This article will review the history of the tax treatment of charitable split interest gifts, explain the inequities that Congress both cured and generated in its 1969 reforms, and propose solutions that are consistent with the goals of the 1969 legislation. The article discusses variations in the 1969 definition of a charitable split interest, which, because of the enacted statutory language, applies in instances where there is no abuse potential. The inequity produced by that definition penalizes the donor and flouts the rationale behind the 1969 legislation. By contrast, the creation of some required statutory forms of charitable split interests …

The Problems With Donor Intent: Interpretation, Enforcement, And Doing The Right Thing, Susan N. Gary

Chicago-Kent Law Review

In a number of recent controversies, the way the charities involved handled restricted gifts resulted in unhappy donors, negative publicity, and costly litigation. This paper examines several of these cases and then argues that donor intent is often more difficult to divine that many people have stated.

The law requires that a charity give effect to a restriction imposed by a donor. This paper examines the legal rules that govern donor-restricted gifts and considers the other reasons a charity will, in most cases, follow the donor's intent. The paper then describes several circumstances in which donor intent may not be …