Princeton Endowment Trial Will be Split

Lawyers for both sides of a landmark donor intent case filed against Princeton University said they were pleased by a judge's ruling yesterday to split the upcoming trial into two parts. The plaintiffs, led by William Robertson, contended in a 2002 lawsuit that the university has not kept its promises in using funds from the Robertson Foundation while the university insists it has upheld its end of the bargain. The foundation, which is controlled by the university but has family members as minority trustees, began after a 1961 gift of $35 million from Robertson's parents, Charles S. and Marie H. Robertson, heirs to the A&P supermarket fortune. The foundation's mission is to educate graduate students for government service through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Princeton asserts that it has upheld the donors' intent and that it prepares many students who go on to serve the government. At stake is control of a $900 million endowment, a tally taken June 30, 2008. A university spokeswoman said an updated number for the endowment was not available, although the stock market has declined considerably since June.

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