Lemkin family sues Philadelphia nonprofit over unauthorized use of genocide scholar's name

For four years the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention in Philadelphia used the name of Holocaust-survivor-lawyer Raphael Lemkin despite no connection to his descendants. The Lemkin family, including Joseph and Binyamin, filed a complaint with Pennsylvania officials, prompting the institute to add Peter Raphael Lemkin, a Czech citizen, to its board. The filing alleges breaches of the state's Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act, as well as claims under the post-mortem right of publicity, Lanham Act false endorsement, and anti-cybersquatting statutes.

Pennsylvania’s Department of State has opened an inquiry focused on the nonprofit’s fundraising representations rather than its political positions. Over a hundred scholars have backed the family, labeling the name appropriation “Holocaust inversion.” The case tests whether regulators will apply ordinary charity law to a politically active organization.