Case Description
The Attorney General of Pennsylvania sued a former state senator who had founded a charity, Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, Inc. Defendant was convicted on federal fraud charges for receiving non-profit funds. Defendant challenged the Attorney General’s complaint on the grounds that the Attorney General did not have standing to bring a parens patriae action in a charities case. The court held that it is “well-settled” law that the Pennsylvania Attorney General is responsible for the public supervision of charities through his parens patriae powers. “The Commonwealth has parens patriae standing whenever it asserts quasi-sovereign interests, . . . Here, the Commonwealth’s interest in the well-being of the public that Citizens was created to serve is a clear example of such a quasi-sovereign interest. . . .It is the duty of the Attorney General to ensure that the purpose of the charity remains charitable. Consequently, the Attorney General always has standing in any case involving a charity.
