Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co.

Central Hanover Bank and Trust Company (defendant) petitioned to settle its first account as trustee of a common trust fund pooling numerous small trusts, and notified beneficiaries only by newspaper publication as New York banking law minimally required. Mullane (plaintiff), appointed special guardian for beneficiaries who hadn't responded to the notice, objected that publication alone was constitutionally inadequate; the court nonetheless entered a final decree accepting the accounts, and Mullane appealed.