King v. Trustees of Boston University
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
647 N.E.2d 1196 (1995)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. deposited his papers and other materials with the Trustees of Boston University (BU) (defendant), accompanied by a letter stating he intended to annually give a portion of the materials outright to BU and that all deposited materials would become BU's absolute property upon his death; BU indexed the papers, hired staff to care for them and assist researchers, made them available for research, and held a ceremony at which Dr. King spoke about his reasons for the deposit. After Dr. King's death, his wife (plaintiff), as estate administratrix, sued BU seeking return of the materials, but a jury found King had made an enforceable charitable pledge; Mrs. King's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or a new trial was denied, and she appealed directly to the state's highest court.
Whether a charitable pledge is enforceable if there is a promise to give property to a charitable institution and consideration or reliance on the promise.